


Endless Twilight

by ChildOfSolace, NympheSama



Series: The Endless Twilight Saga [1]
Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Character Swap, F/F, F/M, Gay Romance, Gay Twilight, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Possible Glacial Burn, Slow Burn, Twilight re-envisioned, Twilight re-write in Choices fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-01-31 06:41:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 165,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21441877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChildOfSolace/pseuds/ChildOfSolace, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NympheSama/pseuds/NympheSama
Summary: Taylor returns to his birth town, happy to be with his dad again; despite his twin brother and his mother not returning with him.Soon after arriving, he finds himself invariably drawn towards the strange and alluring Jake McKenzie.Despite Jake's best efforts, the pair soon come to realise they can't help but want each other.But will an outside intervention, keep them apart for good?
Relationships: Craig Hsiao/Zahra Namazi, Jake McKenzie/Main Character (Endless Summer), Michael Harrison/Main Character (High School Story: Original Trilogy), Quinn Kelly/Kele, Rex Lundgren/Jeanine "Fiddler", Yvonne/Malatesta
Series: The Endless Twilight Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545814
Comments: 177
Kudos: 42





	1. Moving

**Author's Note:**

> A re-envisioning, re-writing of Twilight in the Endless Summer fandom - with other Choices characters from other books coming into play!
> 
> So, this is a collaboration work between myself and ChildOfSolace - we are both VERY excited and have worked pretty much all night to put this first chapter together.
> 
> We are not claiming any part of the story as our own, except the obvious parts we have added so far - and we WILL be adding a lot of other stuff, taking away some of the original stuff etc (and more, because mpreg was never in Twilight) 
> 
> We hope you will give us a chance to show you our vision
> 
> Please note that the more comments we get, the more we will likely update - at the moment we reckon once every couple of weeks to every month, BUT, if you like it and let us know; maybe we can be convinced ; )
> 
> So, no Twilight bashers please - this is all friendly and we would like to think we have changed enough of the original to make it interesting...
> 
> Thankyou for reading - hope to hear from you soon...
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Preface:**

_Taylor never gave much thought to how he would die — though he'd had reason enough in the last few months — but even if he had, he would not have imagined it like this._

_He stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked back at him in such an obscene manner, Taylor feared if he had plans to do anything more before going in for the kill. _ _Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone he loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something. _

_Taylor knew that if I'd never gone to Cedar Cove, he wouldn't be facing death now. But, terrified as he was, he couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end. _

_The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward with ill-purpose, Taylor holding his ground defiantly as he accepted his fate. _

## ENDLESS TWILIGHT

**Moving**

"Taylor," my mom said to me, the last of probably more than a thousand times, before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."

I hid a small smile behind my book in the backseat, watching as my mom turned the car into the airport car park. Honestly, I was beyond relieved we'd finally arrived, exhausted from the constant attempts to reassure me I didn't have to do this thing I wanted to do.

I love my mom, let me say that now; and I love my brother Jordan. Our parents were pleased as punch when they were graced with twin boys, Jordan who's naturally gifted at sports; and then me, who is… somewhat less natural. Unless you mean a natural disaster.

I’m a natural boy scout, though, something Jordan’s really not into. His preference of outdoors were limited to a park, that’s still within town and indoor stuff is not too far away. He used to throw tantrums when our family gave into my camping whims. Though, most of the time, my dad and I were the only ones who really enjoyed it.

My mom looks like my brother, except with lighter skin tone like mine as opposed to Jordan and dad’s tan one. Her hair is shorter than his and she has laugh lines: the only thing that reveals her true age. I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother and similarly scatterbrained brother to fend for themselves?

The panic lasted only a heartbeat, as I remembered that; of course… they had Jim now, and Jordan’s matured a bit too. Being in a relationship does that I suppose and he works part time occasionally, so the bills would probably get paid; there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in mom's car, and someone to call when she or Jordan inevitably got lost, but still…

"I _ want _ to go," I repeated for the umpteenth time, the words entirely true, despite their disbelief. I'd always been a bad liar, so they should have been able to see that really… I'd hoped that if I kept saying this frequently enough before I left, that it would sound at least _ almost _ convincing to them by now. I was a bit apprehensive of the new change of living arrangement, but not at all opposed to it.

In the Southern Peninsula, a small town named Cedar Cove exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the world; if you believe my mother and brother. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me and my brother when we were only a few months old. 

It was in this peaceful town that I'd been allowed to spend a month every summer until I was ten. As much as Jordan loved Scott too, that was the year my brother finally put his foot down, possibly fed up with the lack of malls or arcades to go to for an entire month; and the difficulty of placing decent sport matches under the rain and snow. So, for the past ten years, our dad, Scott, vacationed with us in California for two weeks instead. There weren’t any hard feelings about that, but it took awhile for Jordan to believe our dad didn’t hold anything against him for the ultimatum.

It was to Cedar Cove that I now exiled myself; an action that I actually took with moderate pleasure, despite my mother and my sibling's disbelief of that matter. 

They detested Cedar Cove.

They loved Sunset Beach; the small but sunny ocean town we lived in. I was indifferent either way. A place is a place, a home only made so by the people in it. I had family there; and family here, so it didn't matter which I was really in.

They loved the sun and the blistering heat, whereas I enjoyed the sun; but wasn't so ravenous for it. I actually kinda liked winter, the snow and the ice skating I nearly killed myself attempting once. Winter Wonderland kinda stuff.

They loved the vigorous, sprawling city… I loved the quieter woodlands I didn't often get to visit since Jordan's ultimatum.

"Tell Scott I said hi."

"I will."

"Tell dad I love him?" Jordan added to mum’s request, though I merely scoffed and rolled my eyes at the plea, stuffing my book back into my carry on bag.

"Or you could phone him and tell him yourself… maybe visit now and then." I faux grumbled, scowling the same way as Jordan, when he jabbed me roughly in the arm. "If you weren't all loved up with Micheal then you could come with me and do it in person." I added with a snort, laughing as my brother turned an amusing shade of pink.

"Shut up, doofus!" Jordan hissed like a cat as I made exaggerated kissy faces at him. He might like to make out he's staying for this whole football thing, but I know better. He's staying for his hot boyfriend; and he knows I know this. He launches himself at me as I wave my brows and laugh at his silent outrage.

"I'll see you soon," mom insisted, ignoring my brother and I as we tussled in the back seats, used to our behaviour and knowing better than to intervene. "You can come home whenever you want, we'll come right back as soon as you need us."

But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise, not to mention for Jim as well. The sacrifice of Jordan's potential career and running the risk that came with long distance relationships. I teased him about it, but I could tell that the two were really into each other. It’s the only thing positively mature about Jordan. Well, that I’m confident about.

"Don't worry about me," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom." I said, turning to Jordan and sticking my tongue out at him. "Guess I even love you, jerk."

"Rude."

Mom hugged me tightly for a minute, and then Jordan surprised me by doing the same. I got out of the car and went to get on the plane alone; and they were gone.

It's a four-hour flight from Sunset Beach to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Royale, and then an hour drive back down to Cedar Cove. Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Scott, though, I was a little worried about. I've missed my dad so much, but I swear he's convinced I feel the same as Mom and Jordan and hate Cedar Cove.

Scott had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me registered for Berry college and was going to help me get a car.

But it was still sure to be awkward with Scott. This was a big change, and while we had made it a point to see each other over the summers in the past, having a new living arrangement with some semblance to permanency would throw anyone off. Neither of us was what anyone would call verbose, because his puns didn’t really count. Though I was known to spit out word vomit when I lost my temper… but I didn't know what there was to say regardless, at this point. Apart from his love of trains or asking about his work; which was ninety percent off limits, there wasn’t a lot I knew to talk about with Scott.

When he visited over the summers, we filled our time with activities like barbecue grilling and camping outside the backyard, because Jordan forbade letting us go out to any forest during the heating sun of summer. At best, we had typical small talks, avoiding landmines like Julia’s new boyfriend or how happy she was with him.

I knew he was more than a little confused by my decision, like my mother and brother before him; given that they hadn't made a secret of their distaste for Cedar Cove. For some reason, everyone seems to forget that I actually have a mind of my own sometimes.

When I landed in Port Royale, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen, just unavoidable. I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun; and honestly… it was kinda refreshing.

Scott was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting, too. Scott is Police Chief Lee to the good people of Cedar Cove. Part of my primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top… mostly because he would never let me have any fun and turn them on. 

Scott gave me an awkward, one-armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane. I can tell he's worried that I didn't want to be here, so I returned it as eagerly as I could because I love him. If it turned out that I had to sacrifice something by living here, I knew that being with him at all was worth it. 

Scott's been alone too long. No matter what he says, his train collection didn't count as good company.

"It's good to see you, Tay-bear," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me; missing my disgusted grimace at the hated nickname. I was always Tay-bear, my brother was Jor-bull. "You haven't changed much. How's Julia and your brother?"

"They're fine, Jordan sends his love. It's good to see you, too, Dad." I wasn't allowed to call him Scott to his face. 

Scott made a show of widening his eyes, and mimed accepting an invisible… well, something, “Sends his love? Wow, I had no idea you could do that now! Technology nowadays. In my time, all we had was snail mail.”

I muffled my snicker, because I really should not be this encouraging of Scott’s bad dad jokes. Though, that wasn't to say I didn’t appreciate the attempt to break the ice. That was definitely appreciated. And it was nice to get a not-so-awkward smile from him out of it. 

I had only a few bags. Most of my old clothes were not very, say, winter-appropriate; so I ditched ninety percent of them as soon as I decided I was coming back to Cedar Cove. Jordan and I had pooled our resources from a paper round we'd shared since we were twelve to supplement my winter wardrobe, but it was still scanty. I don't like having too many clothes anyway, so it's hardly a big loss to me. It all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.

"I found a good car for you, really cheap." he announced when we were strapped in.

"Wait… What kind of car?" I was suspicious of the way he said "good car for you" as opposed to just "good car."

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Ricardo Soto Senior, down at Hartfeld?" Hartfeld, is the tiny Latino reservation on the coast.

"No."

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Scott prompted.

That would explain why I didn't remember him. I do a good job of blocking painful, things from my memory; and nothing was more painful than my brother's fit of rage when he was forced to do something as mundane and peaceful as fishing.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Scott continued when I didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping I wouldn't ask.

"Well, Ricardo's done a lot of work on the engine, it's only a few years old, really."

I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe I would give up that easily. "When did he buy it?"

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no... I think it was new in the early sixties; or late fifties, at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Sc—! Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic…"

"Really, Taylor, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."

The thing, I thought to myself… it had possibilities, as a nickname, at the very least. I wondered distantly if maybe I could add a mechanics course to my schedule this year. Just in case.

"How cheap is cheap?" I asked suspiciously. After all, that was the part I couldn't compromise on.

"Well, son, It’s the best kind of cheap; free.” Scott quips, and I sort of stared at him. No matter how good friends there are, it was a bit too much that Ricardo would give out a car with payment. “I mean, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." He peeked sideways at me with a hopeful expression.

Okay, wow. Free, for me, by technicality. I had to admit, that was pretty cool. But, being me… I would not admit it aloud. "You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car." I replied with a small frown, looking down at my fingernails in my lap.

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. 

I think Scott was still worried I was sacrificing my happiness by moving in with him. I really don’t understand why it was so hard for them to understand that I really didn’t mind being here. What I did understand, was that he felt a little bit tense now. Scott wasn't comfortable during confrontations, though this hardly counted as one. I inherited that from him, like a lot of things. I guess I took after him a lot, in the same way Jordan took after mom. So, naturally I was looking straight ahead and avoiding eye contact as I responded. Though, being exposed to mom and Jordan all this time, I managed to developed a bit of a spitfire tendency when the situation called for me to be a bit more vocal with what I thought.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." I said awkwardly, wishing I knew how to express genuine gratitude or at least explain that my being happy in Cedar Cove wasn't the impossibility he believed it to be. But, I never looked a free truck in the mouth; or engine.

"Well, you're welcome, son..." he mumbled, embarrassed by my thanks.

We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet, naturally; and Scott kind of boggled my mind, asking if water was wet and we had a bit of a debate over it, with an occasional pun thrown in. I love and hate his puns. But mostly love, it was just my job as son to detest dad jokes. That was pretty much it for conversation throughout the drive. 

When the road got busier, I stared at the window in silence to let Scott concentrate. Slippery roads are tricky business, after all, even in police cruisers.

It was beautiful, of course; I'm sure even my mom and Jordan couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves. It was so many different, wonderful shades of green; but almost like an alien planet after the sun scorched plains I was used to.

Eventually we made it to Scott's. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had; the early ones. There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new; well, new to me, truck. It was a faded blue which I suspected might brighten nicely after a decent polishing; with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. 

To my intense surprise, I absolutely freaking loved it. I didn't know if it would run; of course, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged; the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the pathetic and likely foreign car it had destroyed.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" 

Now my horrific first day at Berry College tomorrow would be just that much less dreadful. I wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to campus, or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser; sans flashing lights.

"I'm glad you like it," Scott said with a bit of a smile, less embarrassed and more relieved-looking this time. 

It took me only one trip to get all my stuff upstairs. I got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard.

The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me and my brother since we were born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window; these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes Scott had ever made were switching the crib for bunk beds and adding a desk as we'd grown. I noticed with gratitude I would never voice past basic thanks, that Scott had switched the bunk beds again for a double bed; a luxury I'd not been expecting. The desk now held a second hand laptop, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days with Jordan was still in the corner.

There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Scott. I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact, because I love singing at the top of my lungs when I shower, but I’m not so sure how I feel about having Scott hearing me do it, and probably laughing in amusement over it.

Well, I’ll get used to it. Mom and Jordan got the privilege of hearing Taylor’s top hits twenty-four-seven, Scott would love it too.

One of the best things about Scott is he doesn't hover. He left me alone to unpack, possibly attending to his train sets; and I get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother or my brother. They're people-people. Always need to fill silences with chatter and always need to be on the go. 

It was nice to be alone, not to have to hide my smile and be allowed to just look pleased; a relief to stare hopefully out the window at the sheeting rain and think I just might be able to escape for a walk in the nearby woods later. I wasn't in the mood to go on a real hike, too jet lagged and certainly not prepared until I got myself some decent boots.

The only downside to enrolling in Berry College, would be that I was going to be the new guy from the big city, a curiosity, a freak. Not only that, but I would likely be in class with a bunch of eighteen or nineteen year olds, whereas I would be twenty one on New Year's day; in just six months time. I'd had to take a couple years out from my education when Jordan first got scouted, travelling with mom and Jim to make sure my brother got to the right games and met the right coaches. I didn't resent that time off, of course; I was proud of my brother… but it still left me in an awkward position now that I was finally able to go back to my education.

Cedar Cove's community college had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty seven, now fifty eight, students; there were more than seven hundred people in my college _ year _ alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together; their grandparents had been toddlers together. 

Maybe, if I looked like a guy from Sunset Beach should, I could work this to my advantage. But physically, I'd never fit in anywhere. I should be tan, sporty, probably blond, a volleyball player, or a cheerleader with skimpy shorts or loose pants perhaps supporting cheerleaders in mini skirts; all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun.

Instead, I was ivory-skinned, with dark blue eyes and shocking, if short red hair, despite the constant sunshine. Mom said I took after the Caucasian side of her family, with a bit of albinism mixed in. It’s going to make it a bit of a pain, if people keep asking if I was blood related to Scott. He has a more tan complexion, after all… but at least there's the red hair to make our relation clear. I never had that with mom. I had always been slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete; I didn't have the necessary hand-eye coordination to play sports without humiliating myself and inevitably harming both myself and anyone else who happened to be standing too close.

When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed my short, damp hair; styling it into my favourite, just slightly rebellious spikes. Maybe it was the light, but already I looked healthier. Happier. My skin could be pretty, it was very clear, almost translucent-looking; but it all depended on my mood. I had no constraints here, so I could freely be happy.

Facing my reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was lying to myself. It wasn't just physically that I'd never fit in. And if I couldn't find a niche in a college with three thousand people, what were my chances at the considerably smaller college here?

I didn't relate well to people my age. Maybe the truth was that I didn't relate well to people, period. Even my mother and my brother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, were never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Most of the time, it’s like everyone else was tuned in on FM and I was on AM. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. But the cause didn't matter. All that mattered was the effect. And tomorrow would be just the beginning.

I didn't sleep well that night, even after I was done with my various experiments with Scott's limited kitchen supplies. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background; and a nervous excitement hummed just beneath my skin. Eventually I pulled the faded old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too. But I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, when my heart had finally ceased its strange, over eager rhythm.

Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning, and I could feel giddy excitement welling up in me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a mystery every day. Would it rain, would the sun surprise you? Would you get a freak snowstorm? It was never entirely certain… but the rain was admittedly, the most likely of options.

Breakfast with Scott was a quiet event. He wished me good luck at college. I thanked him, despite knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Scott left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three mismatched chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor.

Nothing was changed. 

My mother had painted the cabinets twenty years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Scott and my mom in Las Vegas, then one of the four of us in the hospital after my brother and I were born, taken by a helpful nurse as I laid in Scott's arms and Jordan lay in Julia's; followed by the procession of mine and Jordan's old school pictures up to last year's, one of the oldest ones being that of a Preschool graduation photo, and I still had a damn teddy bear in my arms. I can't help but grimace because some of those were pretty embarrassing to look at, I would have to see what I could do to get Scott to put them somewhere else, at least while I was living here.

It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Scott had never gotten over my mom. It made me sad to think he'd loved her so completely; and she'd not been able to love him back in the same way; too stifled by the town which Scott had adored as much as she hated it.

I didn't want to be too early to college, but I couldn't stay in the house anymore. I donned my jacket, which had the feel of a bio-hazard suit; and headed out into the rain.

It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots was thrilling, though I missed the crunch of gravel as I walked. I couldn't pause and admire my truck again as I wanted; I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood. I was not prepared to have frizz instead of spikes on my first day.

Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Ricardo or Scott had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and bubblegum. The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. Well, a truck this old was bound to have a character; and personally I thought my noisy engine was pretty awesome, like a growling wolf. The antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected and was utterly thrilled by. Music is a passion my brother does not share. His views on my public displays of singing and; or dancing are rude at best and vulgar at worst, but nonetheless, I do it anyway. What else are brothers for?

Finding the college wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. The campus was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a college; only the sign, which declared it to be Berry College, made me stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-coloured bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. Where was the feel of the unforgiving institution? I wondered nostalgically. Where were the chain-link fences, the metal detectors?

I parked in front of the fifth building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but I decided I would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot; that was more my brother’s style. I stepped out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges, pausing to take a deep breath before opening the door.

Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd anticipated. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, green-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, black haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed.

The black haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"

"I'm…" I paused, half wincing as I glanced around and leaned closer. "Taylorence Lee," I whispered quietly her, ashamed and disgusted by my full name. I saw the immediate awareness light her eyes; I was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. One of the twin sons of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come home at last.

By the time Jordan and I finally arrived; two weeks late, which I forever blame on Jordan, just as he does me, our mom had narrowed down the baby names to her four favourites. Most people would just take that final leap and knock off the two names that don't immediately jump at them; but not our mom. No, she decided to mash two names together; resulting in the horrendous full names of Taylorence and Jordaniel. Scott of course, was so utterly in love with Julia, that he didn't think to stop her at the time; though he did decide to call us both by nicknames later. Tay-bear and Jor-bull; I'm not sure why… maybe he thought we were a little destructive by the time we came back for our first month long visit.

We both hate the full and nicknames we were given. The only time we _ both _ had full on temper tantrums; was deciding once and for all to have _ one _ name each. Julia didn't like it; and she still enrolled us under our full names in the education system, so here I am, forced to admit to the horrid thing. But just this once.

"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the college for you." She brought several sheets to the counter to show me.

She went through my classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave me a slip to have each lecturer sign, which I was to bring back at the end of the day. I didn't voice the fact that I was in fact an adult and did not need to be babied, just because I was new in town. I felt moderately proud of the achievement. She smiled at me and hoped, like Scott, that I would like it here in Cedar Cove. I smiled back; in fact I all out beamed, relieved to be able to share my excitement at being back in the wilderness of a town at last.

When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the campus, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older like mine, nothing flashy. At home I'd lived in one of the few lower-income neighbourhoods, but it was still a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny Audi; and it stood out. Still, I reluctantly cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the thunderous purr wouldn't draw attention to me.

I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now; hoping like hell I wouldn't have to walk around with it stuck in front of my nose all day. I stuffed everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. I can do this, I told myself firmly, nodding as I felt a sense of determination settle over me. If there's one thing to be said about me; it's that my stubbornness would rival that of a cats. I finally exhaled and stepped out of the truck.

I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowded with those just on the cusp of their teenage years. My plain black jacket didn't stand out, I noticed with relief.

Once I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. The large black "3" painted on a white square on the east corner; kinda gave it away. I felt my breathing gradually creep toward hyperventilation as I approached the door. I tried holding my breath as I followed two unisex raincoats through the door.

The lecture room was small. The people in front of me stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. I copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with her hair shaved short over her head.

I took the slip up to the lecturer, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Ventus. He gawked at me when he saw my name, not an encouraging response, and of course I flushed tomato red. But at least he sent me to an empty desk at the back without introducing me to the rest of the class. It was harder for my new classmates to stare at me in the back, but somehow, they managed. I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: IT for dummies, How to not break your computer, typical, basic and crucial stuff. I'd already read everything. That was comforting… and boring. 

When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, a gangly guy with green eyes, red hair, freckles and fair skin stands before me. He wears a blue and white shirt, leaned across the aisle to talk to me.

"Yo. You're Taylorence, aren't you?" He gave me some kind of smirk that seems to put me off immediately, “Seem a little lost there, need a hero to come to your rescue?” I note his letterman jacket indicating that he could be a jock type.

Jordan would have immediately got on with him upon meeting… until he heard him speak.

"Taylor," I corrected with my teeth locked together tightly. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at me as I scowled at the guy.

"Where's your next class?" he asked.

I had to check in my bag. "Um, History, with Wenstrum, in building six."

There was nowhere for me to look without meeting curious eyes. So I looked at my feet.

"I'm headed toward building four, so you’re in luck. Got your own personal, hot, tour guide showing you the way.“ Definitely full of himself. I was right to be put off. And hot? More like vaguely tepid at most, I personally thought. "I'm Brian, Berry College’s star quarterback," he added.

I force myself to smile politely, wondering if this guy thinks we’re still in High school, presuming I’d be impressed by that. "Gee... thanks."

We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. I knew only too well, several people behind us were walking close enough to eavesdrop. I hoped I wasn't going to get paranoid before the end of the month

"So, this is a lot different than Sunset Beach, huh?" he asked.

"Very."

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Three or four times a year." I quipped.

"Wow, sounds like a real paradise." he wondered.

"It’s sunny a lot," I said vaguely.

"But you’re not tanned."

What was this? Mean Girls? Should I say he shouldn’t be questioning my skin color? I just shrug. "My mother is Caucasian, and part albino."

He scrutinized my face, and I sighed. Another thing I’m gonna miss about Jordan is how he usually draws in the attention from me when we’re together. Of course, not that I’d want this guy to be giving my brother any attention at all, luckily, this guy’s got nothing on Micheal so there wouldn’t be an issue on the off chance Jordan met him, but I digress.

It looked like clouds and a sense of humour don't mix. A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm entirely. The thought was highly unnerving… I would miss it terribly. I made a mental note to call Jordan more than I first planned; I needed sarcasm and humour in my life.

We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Brian walked me right to the door, though it was clearly marked.

"Well, I’ll be seeing you," he said as I touched the handle, giving me a bit of a wink which I tried not to obviously cringe at. "Maybe we'll have some other classes together."

He sounded hopeful. I smiled at him vaguely and went inside; privately hoping the opposite.

After a morning’s worth of classes, I started to recognize a couple of the faces in each one. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Cedar Cove. I tried to be honest, but mostly I was just awkward and nodded a lot. At least I never needed the map.

One girl sat next to me in both Programming and Science; an extra course I had taken because I was always interested in it, and she walked with me to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but her dark hair made hung down to beyond her waist, so I was kinda impressed. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she prattled about lecturers and classes. I didn't try to keep up with her thoughts on fashion though.

We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. I forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them. They seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to me. The boy from Technology, Brian, waved at me cockily from across the room, nudged and egged on by his companions. I cringed but nod once towards him, because damn my parents for raising me that way.

It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't gawking at me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught; and held my attention.

They didn't look anything alike. Of the three guys, one was big with a hint of Asian in his face; muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, short hair. Another was taller and leaner, but still muscular, and paled honey skin to counter his curly black hair. The last was scruffy, less bulky; though I had a feeling there was some hidden muscle under his dirty-green jacket. He had untidy, sandy hair that fell just past his ears, which looked like he hadn’t used a brush on it in at least five years; and a hint of stubble dusting his jaw. He was certainly older than the others, who looked like they could possibly still be in their final year of high school. He even looked like he could be a lecturer here, rather than a student.

And here I'd been worried about seeming older than my classmates; this guy must have felt positively _ ancient _.

The girls were opposites. The shorter one was slumped over her phone and typing furiously. She had an _ atmosphere _ to her which I could sense from my seat; the kind that tells you not to approach, which warns you she could probably break you just by being in the same room. Her head was shaved on one side, and the hair long on the other side. A black mohawk, with a maroon streak. The taller girl was pixie-like, not thin in the extreme or anything, or with small features; but still, she was _ ethereal _ nonetheless. Her long hair was a vibrant red, brighter than my own; and curled down to her waist like a glowing waterfall.

And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the Caucasian albino. Save for the one with the hint of honey to him; who seemed as if he were both pale and tanned, as if he were constantly sunbathing for a tan, but then dusting himself with ash afterward. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes; purplish, bruise-like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular.

But all this is not why I couldn't look away.

I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful; maybe the perfect, scary girl, or the stubbled scruffy guy.

They were all looking away. Away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular; as far as I could tell. As I watched, the muscular guy rose with his tray, unopened soda, unbitten apple; and walked away with a firm, and dominant stride that belonged on some kind of action movie, with the slow motion effect in action. I watched, amazed at his confident demeanor but not at all obnoxious, till he dumped his tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have thought possible for such a bulky guy. My eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.

"Who are they?” I asked the girl from my Programming and Science class, whose name I'd forgotten. 

As she looked up to see who I meant, though seemingly already knowing, probably from my tone; suddenly he looked at her. The one with the stubble, wearing the dirty-green jacket, surely the oldest. He looked at my neighbor for just a fraction of a second, and then his eyes, captivating as they were, flickered to my intrigued ones. 

He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could, though in a flush of embarrassment I dropped my eyes at once. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest; it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer. 

My neighbor giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table like I did. 

"That's Jake and Quinn McKenzie, and Zahra and Kele Darwin. The one who's left is Craig Darwin; they all live together with Jake’s brother, Mike Darwin. They also have a cousin attends Berry College, Grace Hall; but she usually tutors during her lunch break." She said this under her breath. 

I glanced sideways at the scruffy guy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect lips barely opening. The other three still looked away, but still I couldn't help but feel he was speaking quietly to them. 

Fairly ordinary names really, I thought. Save for Kele perhaps, which I couldn't deny was a little old fashioned. But maybe that was in vogue here; small town names? I finally remembered that my neighbor was called Zoe, a perfectly common name. There were two girls named Zoe in my old school back home. 

"They are... very nice looking." I struggled with the conspicuous understatement, knowing my cheeks were stained a dull red with my embarrassment. I didn't really talk about this stuff. Growing up with Jordan; I soon learnt my input wasn't really needed in the conversation.

"Yes!" Zoe agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though! I mean, Kele and Quinn, and Craig and Zahra, though those two try to deny it sometimes; and they fight like crazy occasionally. And they live together." 

Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Sunset Beach, it would have caused gossip. 

"Which ones are the Darwin's?" I asked. "They don't look related..." 

“Oh, they're not entirely. Mike is really young, well, in his late twenties or early thirties. It’s like a big foster family with them. The McKenzies _ are _ Mike's brother and sister, though." Zoe explained, seeming gleeful at the chance to explain the family history to the new guy. "Mike's mom remarried after his dad died, so they're only half relations, but they're super close still. Quinn apparently takes after their dad with the red hair, while Jake takes after their mom."

I can relate to that I guess, Jordan and I weren’t exactly identical twins so we get a few raised brows when our parents introduce as twins at all. I glance around awkwardly when I realise I've just reached up to check my own hair. "They look a little old for fostering." 

"They are now, Kele, Craig and Zahra are all twenty, but they've been with Mike since they were like eight. He's Kele and Zahra's uncle or something like that. Craig I think, comes from a long lost sister from his dads first marriage, but I'm not entirely sure." 

"That's really kind of nice... for him to take care of all those siblings; and welcome others like that, when they're so young, especially when he's not much older himself and everything." 

"I guess so," Zoe admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at the makeshift family, I would presume the reason was jealousy. "I think that Mike can't have any kids, though, he’s not even married after all." she added with a sneer, as if that lessened his kindness. 

Throughout all this conversation, my eyes flickered again and again to the table where the strange family sat. They continued to look at the walls and not eat. 

"Have they always lived in Cedar Cove?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one of my summer months here; even if I was young when Jordan put a stop to them. 

"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in the Caribbean." 

I felt a surge of pity, and relief. Pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, clearly not accepted. Relief that I wasn't the only newcomer here, and certainly not the most interesting by any standard. 

As I examined them, the oldest looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in his expression. As I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me that his glance held some kind of unmet expectations. 

"Which one is the guy with shaggy brown hair?" I asked. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me, but not gawking like the other students had today, he had a slightly frustrated expression. I looked down again. 

"That's Jake. He's gorgeous, of course; even with all that scruff on his cheeks, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good looking enough for him." She sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes.

I wondered when he'd turned her down. 

I bit my lip to hide my smile. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling, too. 

I didn't agree with Zoe though. I thought the scruff which dusted his cheeks, only made the man; for he certainly wasn't a boy, that much handsomer. The gorgeous part I had to admit she was right about, but revealing my sexuality to a girl who's willing to drop an entire family's history at the slightest prompting? 

Yeah, I don't think so.

After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful, even the scary looking girl; Zahra. It was unsettling to watch. The one named Jake didn't look at me again. I tried to tell myself I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't Jordan, all mushy and heart eyed for the first cute guy to look at me. If I were, then I might be smacking it up with Brian by now; though he certainly didn't hold a candle to the rough handsomeness Jake had going for him.

Big no. So much no.

I sat at the table with Zoe and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. One of my new acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that their name was Cameron, had English Literature with me the next hour. We walked to class together in silence. They were shy; and I was awkward. We fit well. 

When we entered the classroom, Cameron went to sit at a black topped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to in my old school. They already had a neighbor. Brian was, unfortunately, in this class too. Fortunately, he already had an assigned seatmate. In fact, all the tables were filled but one. Over on the furthest aisle, I recognized Jake McKenzie by his scruffy hair and dirty green jacket, sitting next to that single open seat with his boots up on the table.

As I walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I was watching him surreptitiously. Just as I passed, he suddenly dropped his feet to the floor and went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again, meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face; it was hostile, furious. I looked away quickly, shocked and going red again. I stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. 

The girl sitting there giggled. I'd noticed that his eyes were black, coal black. 

Mr. Chalmers signed my slip and handed me a book with no nonsense about introductions. I could tell we were going to get along. Of course, he had no choice but to send me to the one open seat at the edge of the room. I kept my eyes down as I went to sit by him, bewildered by the antagonistic stare he'd given me. 

I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face toward the window like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I ran my fingers through my hair and quickly sniffed them. It smelled like peaches and cream, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odor. I wrinkled my nose, placing my cheek in my hand so I was turned away from him; and tried to pay attention to the lecturer. 

Unfortunately the lecture was on Jane Austen, something I'd already studied. I took notes carefully anyway, always looking down and inevitably doodling in the margins whenever there weren't notes to be taken.

I couldn't stop myself from peeking at the strange guy next to me occasionally through my fingers when I shifted my position in my chair. During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair, sitting as far away from me as possible. I could see his hand on his right leg was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never relaxed. He had the long sleeves of his green jacket pushed up to his elbows, and his forearm was hard and muscular beneath his light skin; just as I had predicted. He wasn't nearly as slight as he'd appeared when slouched next to his burly brother. 

The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally coming to a close, or because I was waiting for his tight fist to loosen? It never did; he continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn't breathing. What the hell was wrong with him? Was this his normal behavior? I questioned my judgment on Zoe's bitterness at lunch today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought. Maybe Jake was just a dick.

It couldn't have anything to do with me. He didn't know me from Adam. 

I peeked up at him one more time, and immediately regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, slinking down against the back of my chair; the phrase 'if looks could kill,' suddenly ran through my mind. 

At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump and in a heartbeat; Jake McKenzie was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose; and I was surprised he was a little taller than I'd thought, his back to me, and he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat. 

I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him. He was such an outrageous asshole. It wasn't fair. I began gathering up my things slowly, trying to block the anger that filled me, for fear my eyes would tear up. For some reason, my temper was hardwired to my tear ducts. I usually cried when I was angry; and I often hiccuped when I was sad, both humiliating tendencies. And some jerk, pissed at me for absolutely no reason at all? Especially when he seemed fine earlier at the cafeteria?

It would piss off even the most patient saints… Well, maybe. Bottom line, the guy was infuriating. 

"Aren't you Taylorence Lee?" a male voice asked. 

I’m snapped out of my silent fuming and looked up to see a cute, dark-skinned boy, his dark hair tidy and well-kept, smiling at me in a friendly way. _ He _ obviously didn't think I smelled bad. I felt weirdly petty and oddly vindicated by that fact.

"Taylor,” I corrected him, with a forced smile; still smarting from Jerk-o McKenzie's asshole behaviour. 

“I’m Caleb." 

"Hi, Caleb." 

"Do you need any help finding your next class?" 

"I'm headed to the gym, actually. I think I can find it." 

"That's my next class, too." He seemed thrilled, though unlike Brian’s eagerness, I felt more at ease at Caleb’s approach. At least he didn’t seem like a douche. 

We walked to class together; he was a chatterer; he supplied most of the conversation, which made it easy for me to nod and silently fume together. He'd lived in California until he was ten, so he knew how I felt about the sun. It turned out he was in my Technology class also. He was the nicest person I'd met today. 

But as we were entering the gym, he asked, "So, did you stab Jake McKenzie with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that. Guy’s usually chill, although he occasionally gets a little snarky with pushy females… if they _ really _won't take no for an answer." 

I wondered briefly how many times Zoe had had asked him out as I outwardly cringed. So I wasn't the only one who had noticed. And, apparently, that wasn't Jake McKenzie's usual behavior. I almost wanted to ask exactly how many times he was propositioned, but I’m still mulling over why he was giving me a literal cold shoulder earlier.

I decided to play dumb. 

"Was that the guy I sat next to in English Lit, just now?" I asked artlessly. 

"Yes," he said. "He looked like he was in pain or something." 

"I don't know," I responded. "I never spoke to him." 

"He's a weird guy." Caleb lingered by me instead of heading to wherever his assigned locker was. "If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have been a lot more welcoming." 

I smiled at him before walking through the locker room door. He was friendly and clearly admiring. 

But it wasn't enough to ease my irritation. 

The Gym teacher, Coach Burke, found me a uniform but didn't make me dress down for today's class. Personally, I still didn't understand why a Gym class was mandatory at college. It was like they just wanted to ruin my day somehow.

At home, only two years of P.E. were required. Here, P.E. was mandatory all four years of school; _ and _ throughout further education. Cedar Cove was literally my personal hell on Earth in that one respect. The town clearly hated me as much as my mom and brother hated it.

I watched four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained and inflicted playing volleyball; mostly on Jordan who was the only one willing to put up with my tendencies as my brother and stayed close out of brotherly duty, I felt moderately nauseated. 

The final bell rang at last. I walked slowly to the office to return my ridiculous paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong and much colder. I wrapped my arms around myself. 

When I walked into the warm office, I almost turned around and walked back out. 

Jake McKenzie stood at the desk in front of me. I recognized again that shaggy brown hair. He didn't appear to notice the sound of my entrance. I stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free. 

He was arguing with her in a low, attractive voice. I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade from sixth-hour English Lit to another time; _ any _ other time. 

I just couldn't believe that this was about me. It had to be something else, something that happened before I entered that English room. The look on his face must have been about another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that this _ stranger _ could take such a sudden, intense dislike; to me. I'm literally the most inoffensive person around, namely because I don't speak unless I'm spoken to.

The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling around my face and making my nose cold. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. But Jake McKenzie's back stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at me; his face was absurdly handsome, with those striking, hate-filled coal eyes. For an instant, I felt a thrill of genuine excitement. I felt the sensation of goose-flesh on my arms and my heart seemed to skip a beat. But thank goodness, the man would never know that. The look only lasted a second, but it warmed me in fierce counteraction of the freezing wind. He turned back to the receptionist. 

"Aw, to hell with it, then," he drawled hastily in a voice like velvet. "Might as well suck it up and suffer in silence." And he turned on his heel without another look at me, and disappeared out the door. 

I went meekly to the desk, my face flushed red for once instead of pale; and handed her the stupid, but nonetheless signed slip. 

"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally. 

"Fine," I snapped, my voice crackling with barely repressed fury. How very dare the jerk? 

The receptionist didn't look convinced. 

When I got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home I had in this damp green hole. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the windshield blankly. But soon I was cold enough to need the heater, so I turned the key and the engine roared to life, drawing a weak smile from me as I pet the dashboard affectionately. I liked The Thing.

I headed back to Scott’s house, fighting my tears of fury the whole way there. 


	2. Blindsided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed by now that there are some variations from the Original Twilight from our version.
> 
> And I get that some people are obvious not-fans of the franchise, and that's okay.
> 
> If you could add in a comment how you think Twilight could've been improve, we'll see if we can do something about it.
> 
> But rest assured, we're doing our best to make this vastly different from Twilight elements. Stay tune for Varyyn's role to find out.
> 
> Again, if you don't like Twilight at all, let's be civil about it. Thank you very much and here's to hoping you enjoy!  
٩(^◡^)۶
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Blindsided**

The next day was better... and worse.

It was better because it wasn't all out raining yet, which meant I had a chance to try and dry some laundry I'd done the night before _outside _, although the clouds were dense and opaque. 

It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. Cocky, slightly creepy Brian walked me to my next class, with a girl from band club, and his seat mate in English LIT, Myra glaring at him all the while; but she was still nattering enthusiastically. We passed by Caleb once and damn, I was not aware that he and Brian had bad beef. Something about former best friends, I think. I didn't ask for further details. I almost wanted to backtrack, fake sick and go home. Hell, I could probably just let someone open a door in my face… it would be less painful than being around them both together.

After that, I made it a point not to get caught with both of them at the same time. Thank god they're not both in my, ridiculous and mandatory, Gym class, because then I wouldn't be the only one causing injuries. And I really didn't need that much drama on a daily basis.

People didn't look at me quite as much as they had yesterday. I sat with a big group at lunch that included Brian, Myra, Zoe, and several other people whose names I was still trying to remember. Though I did know them by face at this point. I began to feel like I was floating in a deep bath, as opposed to drowning in an ocean.

It was bad because I was tired. I still couldn't sleep when I was so restless, listening to the wind echoing around the house. I needed to get out and just go for a really decent _hike _. I hoped the weekend would bring some moderately dry weather so I could go camping. Maybe getting out in a tent for a couple nights would help me settle in.

Of course I would also have to get a tent, first.

It was worse because Mr. Ventus called on me in Technology, when my hand wasn't raised; and I had the wrong answer. I felt like a petulant school child to even think such a childish thought, which naturally, only served to further sour my mood.

It was horrid because I had to play volleyball, and the one time I didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, I hit Caleb in the head with it, but he assured me that it was no problem, had a tough skull, he said. 

And it was the worst of all; because Jake McKenzie wasn't anywhere in sight of the college at all.

All morning I was dreading lunch, expecting his bizarre and weirdly immobilizing glares. But through my nerves, I was ready to confront him and demand to know what the hell his goddamn problem was. While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I imagined exactly what I would say. I might be socially awkward as a rule, but once I was pissed off? Heh… Jordan once said I made the Terminator look like the Cowardly Lion.

But when I walked into the cafeteria with Zoe, trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for him; and failing entirely, I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table... and he was not with them.

Brian intercepted us and steered us to his table. Zoe seemed elated by the attention, and her friends quickly joined us. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting nervously for the moment he would arrive; coiled tight like a Jack in the box, ready to pounce and say my piece at last. 

I half hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and give me a fresh dose of irritation so I could stomp on over and swoon; I mean, yell at him.

Not swoon. Definitely not swoon.

He didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more tense; disappointment rife in my heart, denied my chance for vengeance.

I may be slightly dramatic when I'm angry.

I walked to English Lit with a simmering frustration when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed. 

Brian, who was taking on the qualities of a Jack Russell about to either bite or hump your leg, swaggered faithfully by my side to class; and I really wish I this attention seeking prick would give me some space once in a while. Speaking of pricks, I held my breath at the door, but Jake McKenzie wasn't there, either. I exhaled and went to my seat. Brian followed, bragging about an upcoming trip to the beach. He lingered by my desk till the bell rang. Then he winked at me smugly and sit by a girl with long blonde hair and a distinctly uncomfortable smile. I guess she wasn't a big Brian fan either. 

It looked like I was going to have to do something about that guy, and it wouldn't be easy. In a town like this, where everyone lived on top of everyone else, diplomacy was essential. I had never been enormously tactful; I had no practice dealing with overly friendly guys. That was Jordan's department.

I was relieved that I had the desk to myself, that Jake was absent. 

I told myself that repeatedly. But I couldn't get rid of the irritating suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't there. It was ridiculous, and egotistical, to think that I could affect anyone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet I couldn't stop fuming; because somehow, I knew that it was true.

When the college day was finally done, and the blush was fading out of my cheeks from the volleyball incident, I changed quickly back into my jeans and dark red and yellow sweater. I hurried from the guys' locker room, pleased to find that I had successfully evaded my very overly confident, obnoxious sort-of friend for the moment. I walked swiftly out to the parking lot. It was crowded now with fleeing students. I got in my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed.

Last night I'd re-discovered that Scott couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon. Far too boring for my tastes. Though he managed a decent recipe of fried chicken, we couldn't live on that diet plan alone. So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. After a thorough foraging; I also found out that my initial exploration was incorrect. Scott didn't have anything to put with my previous experiments; because he had no other food in the house. So I had my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD MONEY, and I was on my way to the Thriftway.

I gunned my beautiful and deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned in my direction and grinning as I backed carefully into a place in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As I waited, trying to pretend that the ear splitting rumble was as magical to the rest of my classmates as it was to me, I saw the McKenzie girl, the Asian Hsiao-Darwin guy and the other two Darwin siblings getting into their car. It was the shiny new Audi. Of course. 

I hadn't noticed their clothes before; I'd been too mesmerized by their faces. Now that I looked, it was obvious that they were all dressed exceptionally well; simply, even with the gothic look of the scary girl, they were all clothes that subtly hinted at designer origins. With their remarkable good looks, the style with which they carried themselves, they could have worn dishrags and pulled it off. It seemed excessive for them to have both looks and money. But as far as I could tell, life worked that way most of the time. It didn't look as if it bought them any acceptance here.

But I knew better than to believe that. I knew from experience that the isolation was of their own desire. That; and there wasn't a door in the world that wouldn't be opened by that degree of beauty.

They looked at my noisy truck as I passed them, just like everyone else. I kept my eyes straight forward and was relieved when I finally was free of the school grounds.

The Thriftway was not far from the campus, just a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be inside the supermarket; it felt normal. I did the shopping at home, as well as the cooking. I would never eat Jordan's attempts at cooking; I value my life too much. I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly. The store was big enough inside that I couldn't hear the tapping of the rain on the roof though; so kind of a win and lose together situation.

When I got home, I unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them in wherever I could find an open space. I hoped Scott wouldn't mind; but then, he wasn't really ever in the kitchen that much. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, then covered a steak in marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge.

When I was finished with that, I took my shoulder bag upstairs. Before starting my coursework for English Lit and Technology, I changed into a pair of dry jeans, pulled my damp hair up into a pony-tail, and checked my email for the first time. I had three messages from Julia; two from Jordan.

_Taylor _, my mom wrote...

_Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you already. I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Jim says hi. Jordan sent you an email too. Mom._

I sighed and went to the next. It was sent eight hours after the first.

_Taylor _, she wrote...

_Why haven't you emailed me yet? What are you waiting for? Mom._

The last was from this morning.

_Taylorence,_

_If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 p.m. today I'm calling Scott._

I checked the clock. I still had an hour, but Julia was well known for jumping the gun.

_Mom,_

_Calm down. I'm writing right now. Don't do anything rash. Taylor._

I sent that, and began again.

_Mom,_

_Everything is great. Of course it's raining. College isn't bad, a little repetitive in some classes and I think I over prepared, but it's been keeping me busy! I met some mostly cool people who invited me to sit with them at lunch. A couple seem pretty cool, Jordan would like them._

_Your blouse is at the dry cleaners; you were supposed to pick it up Friday, I _told _Jordan to remind you. It's on his calender._

_Scott bought me a truck, can you believe it? I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me._

_I miss you, too. I'll write again soon. I'm not going to check my email every five minutes, but I will make a point of being on more often. Relax, breathe. I love you. Taylor._

I exhaled a deep breath, running a hand through my short red spikes as I sent the last email to Julia; and moved on to my brother’s messages, which were decidedly less urgent, but still irritating enough that I wanted to reply already.

_Taylor _, Jordan’s first message began.

_Seeing as you’re not here, can I have your room? Mine's too small, especially if Michael comes for sleepovers._

I glared at the computer screen irritably, the message had been sent not even three hours after they’d dropped me at the airport; which likely meant my brother had taken my silence as agreement and already swapped our things round. He’s wanted my room for years, but our mom had insisted unless I consented he wouldn't be getting it, seeing as I had taken the time off after school so that he could chase his football star dreams.

_Taylor _, his second message began the same as the first and I sighed knowingly as I continued to read. 

_You snooze you lose._

My brother wasn’t one to keep quiet when he’d done something stupid that he knew he shouldn’t have. He once announced, in front of both Julia and the Principal of our old school; that he and Michael had been making out in the hallway supply closet for an entire lesson. His reasoning had been to prove he was dedicated enough to be a hallway monitor. He was unsuccessful and was not given the role, though he did land himself and Michael a detention for his efforts.

That brat just better clean out the sheets properly.

I'm not stupid, I know what they're most likely to do during a sleepover. A clue? It wouldn't be to discuss football tactics. My fingers hovered over the keypad, my eyes darting to my phone as I half debated whether it was worth the astronomical phone charges to call him. I decided it was not.

_Jordan _, I typed.

_You’re an ass. Michael should have nicknamed you hole, because then you’d be an ass-hole._

My wondrous powers of verbal vomit struck again. I reconsidered my earlier irritation that Jake McKenzie had denied me the chance to call him out for his behaviour, realising the likelihood of my utter embarrassment and the inevitable result of my having to transfer to another college. 

I felt my reply to Jordan conveyed my feelings well enough, so I shut down my computer after sending it and traipsed over to my bookshelf. I had decided while at the supermarket that I would read Wuthering Heights again. It was the novel we were currently studying in English anyway, but I would really like to be reading something more along the lines of Treasure Island, or the Mysterious Island. But I suppose it had its charms. I was trying not to get further irritated by the complete self-entitlement of Catherine when Scott came home. I'd lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.

"Taylor?" my father called out when he heard me on the stairs.

Who else? I thought to myself. "Hey, Dad, welcome home."

"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen.

As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. Scott had always felt like a pacifist to me that I'm still wondering how he made it out as a Chief of Police all these years. Nonetheless, he always kept it ready. When Jordan and I came here as kids, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident; and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose.

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily.

My mother was an imaginative cook, another reason I had taken over the cooking at home, aside from Jordan’s attempts to poison us all; and her experiments weren't always edible. I was both surprised and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back.

"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved.

Scott seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing. Unless I was cooking his chicken recipe, there was nothing for him to help me with; so I smiled and rolled my eyes as I tipped my head towards his sanctuary; and he lumbered away into his train room to give some of them a run while I worked. He could be making puns while I cooked, but I told him a pun is only fun when it wasn't forced.

Holy shit, did I just make a dad joke?

I shuddered and scowled as Scott's delighted laugh faded once he'd made it inside his sanctuary. I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and then set the table.

I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.

"Smells good, Tay-Bear."

I wrinkled my nose. That was going to have to go soon, though I resigned myself to at least another week of the nickname. Scott had been denied the opportunity for a while after all. Plus, he did get me that truck, so I figured I outta humor him for a while longer.

"Thanks."

We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable, Scott never liked talking when we were busy stuffing our mouths. He always said the talk can come after, while we were digesting before cleaning up. Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together.

"So, how did you like college? Have you made any friends?" He asked as he took a breather before taking seconds.

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Zoe. I sit with her and her friends at lunch. And there's this dude, Brian, who's very… uh, friendly. And this guy, Caleb, we have that ridiculous but _mandatory _Gym together." Scott seems to quirk a brow at that, but as long as I didn't tell him it bothered me, he would respect it and leave it alone. "Everybody seems pretty nice, I guess." With one outstanding exception.

"That must be Brian Crandall. I know he comes from a nice family.” He said, as if this meant Brian was automatically nice himself, by technicality. “Caleb too, very much so. Mr. Mitchell owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here."

I made a mental note of that as I chased a potato around my plate, immediately thinking to go and see what they had in the way of decent hiking boots and a new tent. I tried not to think about how much they would cost me 

"Heads up, though," Scott continues, "those boys had a bit of a falling out at High school. They're like oil and water, you don't mix them together."

I really could've gotten that warning earlier, but it was a moot point now. I divert the topic to something that I had more interest in that Brian or Caleb. But honestly, any topic is better than Brian. "Do you know the Darwin family?" I asked hesitantly.

"Dr. Darwin’s family? Sure. Dr. Darwin's a great man."

"They… his relatives... are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at college."

Scott surprised me by looking angry. "People in this town," he muttered, shaking his head. "Dr. Darwin is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him; lucky that he wanted to live in a small little nowhere town, like where he grew up. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted youths. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature. I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the younger generations of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should. Camping trips every other weekend, just like we used to when you came over... Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Scott make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.

I backpedaled. "They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," I added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see the doctor," Scott said, laughing as he started getting his second helping. I'm relieved, because I really wasn't used to him being any other than in a general positive mood. "The man should probably find someone to marry soon. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around, trying to gain his favor to be his missus, I believe."

We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to his trains; and after I finished washing the dishes by hand, I went upstairs unwillingly to work on my Technology coursework. I could feel a tradition in the making.That night it was finally quiet. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted.

The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at college. In the ever hated Gym, whoever was on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way.

Jake McKenzie didn't come back to college.

Every day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Darwins, plus McKenzie girl, entered the cafeteria without him. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the Hartfeld Ocean Park in two weeks that Brian was putting together. I was invited, and I'd agreed to go, more out of politeness than desire. I would rather have been hiking.

By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my English Lit class, no longer worried that Jake would be there to glare at me, or that I would accidentally try to call him out for his bullshit and instead alienate myself. It was a hassle to have remained pissed so long, as I didn't get to say my piece to the little shit. For all I knew, he had dropped out of college. He seemed pretty disinterested. Antsy kinda guy. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the lingering irritation over the certainty that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous as it seemed.

My first weekend in Cedar Cove passed without incident. Scott, wanting to make the most now of having me around than when he lived alone, worked half the day during weekend, choosing to spend the morning with me. It was nice, we grilled barbecue even if cloudy overcast wasn't really the weather for it. It's always a good time for barbecue. I cleaned the house when he left for the station after noon, getting ahead on my housework so I wouldn't have to worry so much in the week and could concentrate on my coursework, and wrote my mom more cheerful emails; while sending another message to Jordan about how much of an ass he was. I also admitted I missed him.

A little.

Okay, maybe a lot.

He was annoying, but I'm pretty sure I annoy him too, on occasion. Especially before he and Micheal got together. Definitely not my fault he made it too easy. Scott had done it too, when he first met Micheal the summer they got together. Jordan was pissed out of his mind, but it did finally stop them from dancing around each other and make it official. Of course, my brother didn't want to give me the pleasure and never thanked me for it.

We're brothers. We love each other as much as we want to piss each other off. 

I ended up driving to the library Sunday morning, but it was so poorly stocked that I didn't bother to get a card; I would have to make a date to visit Westchester or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got... and shuddered at the thought.

The rain stayed soft over the weekend, but Scott had wanted to surprise me by redecorating my room. I couldn’t refuse such an unusually thoughtful offer, so we spent a Sunday evening deciding on paint colours, He made puns as his playful way of judging all of my choices while I ignored his bad dad jokes, even the ones I actually thought were good because dad jokes are supposed to be bad, by default.

Sunday night, I was exhausted enough to be able to sleep well.

People greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone ass if I did. It was colder this morning, but not raining. In IT, Brian took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Diagnostics. It was straightforward, very easy.

All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had really expected to felt… anywhere.

When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.

"Wow," Brian said. "It's snowing."

I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

"Oh." Snow. My good day; just got even better.

He looked surprised. "Do you like snow?"

"Oh, hell yes. That means it's gonna be snow angel time soon." I don’t know why this made Brian give me a weird look, but I assumed it was some weird, jock thing. "The way come down in flakes? You know, each one unique and all that… always loved that."

"You often like to lay down in the snow?" He asked with a lewd grin, making my skin prickle uncomfortably. “Really gets stuff going for you, huh?”

"Sure..." I said awkwardly, then pausing. "But I haven’t really been able to since I was, like... ten."

Brian laughed, his mouth opening to say something I had no doubt was going to be obnoxious or god, perverted. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Myra, who was walking away, her back toward us; in the wrong direction for her next class. Brian apparently had the same notion. He bent over as his expression darkened; and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke, feeling faintly regretful. "My hair and I are not prepared for this kind of adventure today."

Brian just nodded, his eyes on Myra’s retreating figure.

Throughout the morning, everyone chatted excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the new year. I joined in happily, pleased to finally have someone to share my love of the ‘icky white stuff’ with. Jordan and Julia are such bores when it comes to snow, except when it meant me brewing a good hot cocoa after. Mom was forever telling me; sure, it’s drier than rain, until it melts in your socks.

I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Zoe after Science. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield for my hair if necessary. Zoe thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from daring to lob a snowball at my spikes herself.

Brian caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the curls in his hair. He and Zoe were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were five people at the table.

Zoe pulled on my arm.

"Hello? Taylor? What's going on with you?"

I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I hadn't done anything wrong. It was absurd I was acting like some silly schoolgirl just for catching sight of a handsome face. I don’t even have Jordan around to blame for infecting me with his mushy sentimentality.

"What's with Taylor?" Brian asked Zoe.

"Nothing," I answered. "I'll just get a soda today." I caught up to the end of the line.

"Aren't you hungry?" Zoe asked.

"Actually, I... feel a little sick," I said, my eyes still on the floor.

I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet.

I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach churning. Once Brian asked, without major concern, how I was feeling. I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I should play it up and escape to the home an hour early. Ridiculous. I shouldn't have to run away. I decided to permit myself one glance at the Darwin family's table. If he was glaring at me, I would skip English Lit, save myself the inevitable embarrassment of verbally vomiting in front of everyone.

I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking my way. I lifted my head a little. They were laughing. Jake, Kele, and Craig all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Quinn and Zahra were leaning away as Jake shook his shaggy, dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else; only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us.

But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was. I examined Jake the most carefully. His skin was less pale, I decided; flushed from the snow fight maybe. The circles under his eyes much less noticeable too. But there was something more. I pondered, staring, trying to isolate the change.

"Taylor, what are you staring at?" Zoe intruded, her eyes following my stare.

At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet mine. I dropped my head, my hand rising to my hair as if I had an itch.

My smoothness knows no bounds. 

I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way; as if I were denying him something important.

"Jake McKenzie's staring at you," Zoe giggled in my ear.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I couldn't help asking, though I immediately regretted it, wincing before reminding myself there was no way he could possibly hear me.

"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Why the hell would he?"

"I don't think he likes me," I confided. I imagined my next class, attempting to call him a jerk and no doubt screwing it up. I no longer have the rage to feel justified by confronting him. I now felt queasy at the thought. I put my head down on my arm.

"Those guys don't like anybody... well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them.” Zoe scoffed dismissively, as if I was being particularly dumb. I wasn’t entirely sure she was wrong. “But he's still staring at you."

"Stop looking at him," I hissed.

She snickered, but she looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did, contemplating violence if she resisted before remembering she wasn’t my brother.

Brian interrupted us then; he was planning an epic, ‘Battle of the Blizzard’ in the parking lot after college and wanted us to join. Zoe agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Brian left little doubt that she would be up for pretty much anything he suggested. I guess not everyone can have a sense of taste and self respect. I kept silent, but hoped he would offer her any of the things he had been hinting at offering me. It still throws me off that a guy like him was possibly bisexual. Guess I can't fault him for being stereotypical.

I debated. On the one hand, the day would be over and my hair would have been kept looking perfect throughout; so it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun and join in. On the other hand, by the time my last class finished, there would be ice hiding beneath the snow; and I would likely slip and break my neck, seeing as I hadn’t had the chance to check out the new boots I knew I needed.

I sighed forlornly as I came to realise; I would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared.

For the rest of the lunch hour I very carefully kept my eyes at my own table. I decided to honor the bargain I'd made with myself. Since he didn't look angry, I would go to English Lit. My stomach did nervous little flips at the thought of sitting next to him again. I hoped I didn’t embarrass myself.

I didn't really want to walk to class with Brian as usual, he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers; and I had just accepted the fact that my hair would be remaining in tact today, but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight home after Gym; and I wouldn’t be missing out after all.

Brian kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four.

Once inside the classroom, I saw with a weird sense of disappointment that my table was still empty. Mr. Chalmers was walking around the room, distributing one copy of Wuthering Heights and box of pictures to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes; and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of one of my many notebooks.

I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing.

"Hey," drawled a quiet, gruff but oddly musical voice.

I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed again, but his chair was angled toward me. His shaggy hair was dripping wet, disheveled; even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling, stubbled face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful.

"Name's Jake," he continued as I blinked owlishly. "Didn't get a chance to say howdy last week. Ya gotta be Taylor Lee."

My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now, if slightly grammatically compromised. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.

"Uh, hey… you." I stammered awkwardly, mentally kicking myself at the dumb response. “H-how do you know my name?”

He laughed a soft, irritatingly warm snicker. "Heh, think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been buzzin', waitin' for ya."

I grimaced. I knew it was true, but that didn’t make it something I was pleased to be reminded of; one of Chief Scott’s sons, finally coming back home to him.

"No," I persisted stupidly. "I meant, why did you call me Taylor?"

He seemed confused. "Do you prefer Taylorence?"

"_Shut up_!” Taylor hissed, glancing around and sagging with relief when the few people in the town who didn’t seem to know my horrendous full name, did not immediately turn to gape at me. “I like Taylor," I added quickly, clearing my throat as my cheeks warmed. "But I think Scott; I mean my dad, must call me… _that _, behind my back. It's what everyone here seems to know me as," I tried to explain, feeling like an utter moron.

"Oh." He let it drop.

I looked away awkwardly.

Thankfully, Mr. Chalmers started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the comparison work we would be doing today. The pictures in the box were out of order, taken from film adaptations of the woeful tale. Working as partners, we had to separate the pictures into the chronological order they represented and label them accordingly with the scene they depicted from the book. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.

"Get started," he commanded.

"Boy Scout’s first?" Jake asked with a snigger, as I whirled towards him in surprise.

I looked up, about to demand how he knew that I’d been a Boy Scout, only to see him wearing a crooked grin so beautiful that I could only stare at him like an idiot.

"Or I can, if ya want." The grin faded; he was obviously wondering if I was mentally competent.

"No," I said, flushing. "Uh, I'll… go ahead."

I was showing off, just a little. I already knew the book by heart, and I’d seen the films enough times that I was confident I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy. I spread some pictures on the table while looking at others on my hand briefly.

I confidently held up pictures from the first and second chapter together. "This comes first, Lockwood saved from the hounds by a ruddy-cheeked housekeeper, then the Blizzard hitting comes after."

"Ya mind if I check that for ya?" he asked as he checked the pictures on my hand, and scrutinized the others that still laid on the table.

I was about to place the pictures down so he only had to look towards one area, but his hand caught mine, as if to get a better look on those that I currently held. His fingers were ice-cold, like he'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us.

"Er... sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to look through the pictures.

I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for an even shorter time than I had.

"Yup, looks 'bout right," he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet before arranging in properly inside the box.

We examine the other pictures, and just when I found the next scene, Jake swiftly picked it up first, gives one final glance, before holding it up to for me to look at.

"Lockwood meets the ghost," he murmured, writing it down as he spoke.

I try to keep my voice indifferent, but I know well enough from living with Jordan that I sound like a sulky teenager. "May I?"

He smirked and placed the picture on my hand, avoiding contact this time, I noted. I examined the picture carefully while checking to make sure nothing else came first with the other pictures laid out, only to be disappointed. Dang it, he was right.

"Moving on then?"

We continued working on the assignment. I'm not sure he noticed, but I was making this a silent competition, checking who between us was able to find the next scenes at more occasions than the other. Because of my pettiness, we had to backtrack to get the order right, which Jake noticed was starting to seem a little off. I would have volunteered to write the notes on the worksheet while he organized the pictures, but his clear, elegant script intimidated me. I didn't see how it was fair that such a scruffy guy could write so… antiquely. That and I tend to just scrawl messily; and I didn't wanna spoil the page with it.

We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Brian and Myra comparing two pictures, frowning down at the table as they kept reorganizing the order of them, while another group had their book open under the table. Which left me with nothing to do but try to not look at him... unsuccessfully. I glanced up; and found he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly I identified that subtle difference in his face.

"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out unthinkingly. I mentioned before, the smoothness of me.

He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. "No."

"Oh," I mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."

He shrugged, and looked away.

In fact, I was sure there was something different. I vividly remembered the flat black colour of his eyes the last time he'd glared at me; the colour was striking against the background of his pale skin and his sandy hair. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: startlingly clear, cerulean blue. I didn't understand how that could be, unless he was lying for some reason about the contacts. Or maybe Cedar Cove was making me crazy, like my mom and Jordan had insisted it would.

I looked down. His hands were clenched into hard fists again.

Mr. Chalmers came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed timeline, and then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So, Jacob, didn't you think Taylorence should get to write down on the worksheet too?" Mr. Chalmers asked, ignoring my grimace as I shrunk myself into my chair and tried to cover my face with my hand.

Though I had to wonder about 'Jacob' and what the guy's full name actually was. I expected something fancy, for obvious reasons.

"Taylor," Jake corrected automatically, his shoulder rising in a dismissive shrug. "We agreed he'd find the pictures, while I just did the writin' and orderin' the labels."

I don't know what to make out of him coming to my defense, but I didn't want to out him for lying either.

Mr. Chalmers looked at me now; his expression was skeptical. "Have you done this before?" he asked.

I smiled sheepishly. "Not with Wuthering Heights."

“Pride and Prejudice?"

"Yep."

Mr. Chalmers nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Sunset Beach?"

"Yep."

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are partners." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.

"Too bad ‘bout the snow, ain’t it?" Jake asked. I had the feeling that he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. Paranoia swept over me again. It was like he had heard my conversation with Zoe at lunch somehow; and was trying to prove me wrong.

"Yes and no," I answered awkwardly, shrugging my shoulder vaguely. I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate properly on ignoring his existence. 

"Ya don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"I love the cold."

"... Cedar Cove’s gotta be pretty perfect for ya, then." He mused, seeming confused by my vague replies. 

Good. Handsome jerk deserved some confusion.

"Not as good as the Antarctic, maybe," I muttered distractedly.

I was disgusted to feel myself blushing when I glanced up at him, quickly averting my eyes again with a scowl. Jake looked fascinated by what I said, for some reason I couldn't imagine. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded.

"So, why’d ya come here, then?"

No one had asked me that, not straight out like he did, demanding. "It's... complicated."

"Pretty sure I can keep up," he pressed.

I paused for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His piercingly clear eyes confused me, and I answered without thinking.

"My mom got remarried," I said.

"Don't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic. "When’d it happen?"

"A year and a half ago." My voice sounded fond and nostalgic, even to me. Jake paused with a small frown, before the expression cleared and he pushed on.

"Ya don't like him," Jake surmised, his tone still kind.

"No, Jim is fine. Too young, maybe, but nice enough."

"Why didn't ya stay with ‘em?"

I couldn't fathom his interest, but he continued to stare at me with penetrating eyes, as if my dull life's story was somehow vitally important.

"Mom needs to travel a lot, so does my brother. Uh, football opportunities and all that.” I finally sighed, realising with startling clarity that I was actually pleased to be able to just tell my story; and not have people think I was crazy or lying. “My brother Jordan was scouted in our final year of high school. He was given the chance to play football for some really good teams, so I took a couple years off school rather than go straight to college. Now, mom went and married his coach, also a former player; a.k.a Jim." I half-smiled.

"Any chance I heard of him?" he asked, his lips curving slightly in response as he watched me doodle.

"Probably not.” I snorted, peeking up with a sly grin. “I didn't say he used to play _well _. Strictly minor league. Anyway, they’re all moving around a lot. I figured they don’t need to drag me around to." I explained, spreading my palms in conclusion.

"So, ya ma sent ya here, so that she could travel with ‘em." He said it as an assumption again, not a question.

My chin raised a fraction. "Nobody sends me anywhere.” I said haughtily. “I sent myself." I added firmly, inwardly awed by how much I didn’t suck in this weird, wordy standoff thing we were doing.

His eyebrows knit together. "I don't get it," he admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact.

I smirked. Why was I explaining this to him? I had no idea, but I knew whatever game we were playing; I was currently winning. I blinked when Jake continued to stare at me with obvious curiosity.

"So, ya got a brother then? Younger or older?"

"Jordan and I are twins, but he's younger by about six minutes." I said smugly. Jordan hates this fact. "I think at first we just didn’t really know how to do this whole… separate state living thing. We’ve never been further apart than a town or two. But then, he has a boyfriend now. It made him happy... and suddenly the idea of me not being there wasn’t so daunting to either of us. So I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Scott." My voice was relieved by the time I finished.

"But now ya unhappy," he pointed out.

"I am?" I challenged.

"Ya ain’t?" He asked with a frown, his eyes seeming to lock onto me as if trying to pierce straight through me. I shook my head and looked away, but his eyes were still intense on me. "I mean, it sounds unfair, don't it?"

I laughed without humor. "Life isn't fair… but contrary to what everyone believes; I like being here."

"Huh," he hummed dryly, scrutinizing me thoughtfully.

"So, uh… that's all," I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way and desperately willing my cheeks to cool down; or at least not be glowing.

His gaze became appraising. "Ya put on a good show," he said slowly. "But I'd be willin’ to bet ya sufferin’ more’n ya lettin’ on… ya miss ‘em, don’t ya?"

I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old, and looked away. What kind of stupid question was that? Of course I missed them. Jerk.

"Am I wrong?"

I tried to ignore him.

"Didn't think so," he murmured smugly.

"What the hell does it matter to you?" I asked, irritated. I kept my eyes away, watching the lecturer make his rounds.

"That's a damn good question… wish I knew." he muttered, so quietly that I wondered if he was talking to himself. However, after a few seconds of silence, I decided that was the only answer I was going to get.

I sighed, scowling at the blackboard.

"Am I annoyin’ ya?" He asked suddenly. He sounded amused, smug even.

I glanced at him without thinking... and told the truth again. "Yes and no. I'm more annoyed at myself, in all honesty… I told myself I was going to ignore you today. But I’m such an open book, you managed to get read me anyway." I frowned.

"Pfft, naw. I think ya the most difficult guy to read in this place." Despite everything that I'd said and he'd guessed, he sounded like he meant it.

"You must be a good reader then," I replied.

"Usually." He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultra-white teeth.

Mr. Chalmers called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I was in disbelief that I'd just explained my entire life to this bizarre, beautiful, scruffy as hell guy; who may or may not despise me. He'd seemed engrossed in our conversation, but now I could see, from the corner of my eye, that he was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension.

I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Chalmers illustrated, with the pictures from the activity we just did, on the overhead projector. Meanwhile, my thoughts were unmanageable. When the bell finally rang, Jake rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday. And, like last Monday, I stared after him in amazement.

Brian swaggered to my side with a ballsy grin and waited while I gathered up my books. I imagined him with a wagging tail.

"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked so _boring _. You're lucky you had McKenzie for a partner."

"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, stung by his assumption. I regretted the snub instantly. "I've done the class before, though," I added before he could get his feelings hurt.

"McKenzie seemed friendlier today," he commented with painfully feigned indifference, as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it.

I tried to sound indifferent. "I wonder what was with him last Monday."

Brian just shrugged again. "Guy's a freak." He said dismissively, beginning to try and impress me some more before we had to go separate ways to get to our next class, sneering at Caleb as they switched over on their weird hallway accompaniment detail.

I couldn't concentrate on Caleb's chatter as we walked to Gym. The class itself didn't do much to hold my attention, either. He was on my team today. He covered my position as well as his own and didn't cower whenever the ball was sent my way. Actually, he was pretty nice about everything; trying to help me get a bit better at the sport. Of course, my better just meant that no one got hurt that day save for myself, because god forbid I make it through Gym without hurting myself. 

The rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but I was happier then I had been when I arrived that morning. I got the heater running, ever thrilled by the roar of my mechanical beast’s engine. I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, and ran my hand through my damp spikes as I turned on the radio, immediately beginning to belt out the words to a tune which I knew and adored; which was pretty much anything really.

I looked around me to make sure it was clear. That's when I noticed the still, white figure. Jake McKenzie was leaning against the front door of the Audi, three cars down from me; and staring intently in my direction. I swiftly looked away and fell silent as I threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in my haste.

I'm not sure why I was suddenly so shy about my singing, I never normally cared, but then nothing about my life had really made much sense when it involved Jake McKenzie.

Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of puny car that my truck would make scrap metal of. I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. I stared straight ahead as I passed the Audi, but from a peripheral peek, I could swear I saw him laughing.


	3. Enigma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aloha; we return!
> 
> Honestly, at the moment we are just having so much goddamn fun - we are just, so happy doing this. So, here we are XD again
> 
> But hey, the more you guys encourage us the longer this whole 'endorphin rush' will probably last.
> 
> Heh, but seriously; we're loving this project and brainstorming ALL the time - if you have any ideas, chuck them in a comment! We'll consider everything fairly!
> 
> So, with all that said;
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Enigma**

When I opened my eyes the following morning, I was positive. Something was definitely different.

It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window. I jumped up to look outside, and then squealed with delight. 

A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of my truck, and whitened the road. But there was a downside to all that glorious whiteness. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid; coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns; and consequently made the driveway a deadly ice slick. Much as I love winter, I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry sometimes. I wondered if it might be safer for me to just go back to bed now. 

Scott had already left for work before I got downstairs. I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice from a glass; because unlike my brother, I am not some heathen who drinks from cartons. I felt excited to go to college, but that honestly kinda scared me. I knew it wasn't the classes I’d signed up for, or the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating; it wasn’t even seeing my new set of ‘friends.’ Being completely honest; I knew I was just eager to get to college because I would see Jake McKenzie.

And that was very, very stupid. My god, I was becoming my brother, eager to see his boyfriend. Not that Jake was... although I definitely wouldn't mind; no! Jeez, I needed to get a grip on myself. And not that kind of grip, either. 

I should be avoiding him entirely after the brainless and embarrassing babbling of my life story yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I was still pissed off about all the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him; and I felt like a teenager with a crush again, getting tongue-tied whenever I pictured his stupid, perfect face. I was well aware that my league and his league; were spheres that did not touch. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today. 

It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the icy brick driveway alive. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I just managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, I had mixed emotions of going to college today; but my stupid fluttery heart was winning out over my sense of self preservation. I blame Jordan. 

Driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Jake McKenzie by thinking about Brian and Caleb, and the obvious difference in how guys responded to me here. I was sure I looked exactly the same as I had in Sunset beach. For a small town, it's amazing to find that they were somehow open to so many different sexualities. I had a feeling at this point that Cameron was gender fluid.

Maybe it was just that the guys back home had watched me pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still thought of me that way. Maybe it was because I was content to hide in the background while they fawned over Jordan. 

Perhaps it was because I was a novelty here, where novelties were few and far between. Possibly my occasional clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting me as an amusing dude who was in need of a strong arm to rescue and guide me.

Whatever the reason, Brian's attempts to get me to swoon over him and Caleb's friendly yet clearly interested approach were disconcerting. Don't even get me started with the few occasions those two clashed. I might find it somewhat amusing, if I wasn't usually in the middle of them; the object of their current bout of rivalry. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored… just not by Jake McKenzie. 

My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through the streets. 

When I got out of my truck at college, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye and I walked to the back of the truck; carefully holding the side for support, to examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Scott had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of like this; and Scott's unspoken concern caught me by surprise. 

I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound. It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up, startled. 

I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it always does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once. 

Jake McKenzie was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in abject horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark red van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck; and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes. 

Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me; hard. But it wasn’t from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop; and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. I was lying on the pavement behind the green car I'd parked next to. But I didn't even have a chance to notice anything else, because the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and; still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again. 

A low, gruff curse made me aware that someone was with me; and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me; and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body. 

Then his hands moved; so fast, they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van; and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the green car. A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt; exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been. 

It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began. In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more than one person shouting my name. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Jake McKenzie's low, frantic drawl in my ear. 

"Boy Scout? Ya still with me?" 

"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp. 

"Careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think ya hit ya head pretty hard, there." 

I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear. "Oh… _ oooow _," I groaned, surprised. 

"Heh, told ya so." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter. Was he seriously smug over the fact he’d been proven right about my head injury?

"How in the..." I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did you get over here so fast?" 

"I was standing right next to ya, Taylor," he said, his tone serious again. 

I turned to sit up; and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in the limited space. I looked over at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again by the startling discovery that his eyes were a completely different colour once again; this time a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone. I opened my mouth to voice the discovery with awe, but all that escaped me was a soft whimper, stunned by the force of his cerulean eyes. What was I about to say to him? 

And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at us. 

"Don't move," someone instructed. 

"Get Caleb out of the van!" someone else shouted frantically. It sounded vaguely like Zoe's voice. 

There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Jake's cold hand pushed my shoulder down. "Ya oughta stay put for now." 

"But it's cold," I complained.

It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath. "I thought ya liked it that way." There was an edge to the sound. 

"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were by your car." 

His expression turned hard. "No, I weren't." 

"I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and he was going to damn well admit it. I’ve mentioned before; my stubborn streak.

"Boy Scout, get ya head right. I was standing with ya, and I pulled ya outta the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial. I blinked in confusion when I realised they had returned to that beautiful, cerulean blue of the open sky. Well, open sky outside of Cedar Cove.

"No." I set my jaw. 

The crystal blue of his eyes blazed. "Please, Taylor." 

"Why?" I demanded. 

"Trust me," he pleaded, his soft voice overwhelming. 

I could hear the sirens now. "Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"

"Goddamit, ya stubborn."

I press on, "Will you?"

"Fine." He snapped, abruptly exasperated.

"Fine," I repeated with a huff myself. 

It took six EMTs and two teachers; Mr. Chalmers and Coach Burke, to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Jake vehemently refused his; and I tried to do the same, but the goddamn traitor told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion. I almost died of humiliation when they put on the neck brace. It looked like the entire college was there, watching soberly as they loaded me in the back of the ambulance. Jake got to ride in the front. It was beyond maddening. 

To make matters worse, somebody called Scott; and he arrived before they could get me safely away. 

"Taylor!" he yelled in panic when he recognized me on the stretcher. 

"I'm completely fine, Dad," I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me." 

He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion; clearly distrusting my own assurances. I tuned him out to consider the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in my head. When they'd lifted me away from the car, I had seen the deep dent in the green car's bumper; a very distinct dent that fit the contours of Jake's shoulders, as if he had braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame.

There was also the swiftly changing colour of his eyes; something which was decidedly less important when compared to the whole, life saving thing, but it was frustrating me nonetheless. I knew what I saw, goddamn it. I just… couldn’t explain it.

And then there was his family, looking on from the distance, with expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety. I tried to think of a logical solution that could explain what I had just seen; a solution that excluded the assumption that I was insane. 

Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me. What made it worse was that Jake simply glided through the hospital doors under his own power. I ground my teeth together as he held the door open, smirking at me as I scowled hatefully at the ceiling; denying him the satisfaction of my wrath. 

They immediately gave me a cat scan, then put me in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-patterned curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give me some privacy, I decided I wasn't obligated to wear the stupid looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, I quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed. 

There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed next to me. I recognized Caleb beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Caleb looked a hundred times worse than I felt. But he was staring anxiously at me. 

"Taylor, I'm so sorry!" 

"I'm fine, Caleb. You look awful, though, are you all right?" As we spoke, nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek. 

He ignored me. "I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast; and I hit the ice wrong..." He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face. 

"Don't worry about it; you missed me." 

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there; and then you were gone..." 

"Umm... Jake pulled me out of the way." I said slowly, carefully looking at my toes.

He looked confused. "Who?" 

"Jake McKenzie. He was... standing next to me." I'd always been a terrible liar; I didn't sound convincing at all. 

"McKenzie? I didn't see him... wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?" 

"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher." I knew I sounded petulant, but I couldn’t help it; Jake McKenzie had this irritating ability to get under my skin and annoy me like no one else ever had.

I thought back to the accident again; remembering the stark difference in his eye colour, the dents in the van and the green car. I knew I wasn't crazy. What the hell had happened? There was no way to explain away what I'd seen; and it was infuriating. 

I felt harassed by Caleb's constant apologies and promises to make it up to me. No matter how many times I tried to convince him I was fine, he continued to torment himself. Finally, I closed my eyes and ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling, until I heard Scott snap at him to shut up since I was trying to rest and a curtain being pulled. I silently thanked Scott for that even if the hostility was uncalled for. 

"He sleepin'?" A gruff but musical voice asked moments later.

My eyes flew open. 

Jake was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking. I glared at him. It wasn't easy; it would have been more natural to ogle. 

"Hey, dude, I'm really sorry—" Caleb began. 

Jake lifted a hand to stop him. 

"No blood, no foul," he said, smirking in a way that seemed both coy and smug, as if he knew something we didn't. And damn if I wasn't gonna fight him tooth and nail to get it out of him. He moved to sit on the edge of Caleb's bed, facing me. Guess a nurse pulled the curtain back again. He smirked at me. "So, what's the damage?" He asked me. 

"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," I complained, hating that I sounded like a sulky teenager. "How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?" 

"’S all ‘bout who ya know, Boy Scout." He answered. "But don't worry, I came to spring ya." 

Then a doctor walked around the corner; and my mouth fell open. He was young for a doctor, he had short, jet black hair and scuff similar to Jake’s dusting his jaw; except he clearly took more effort to keep himself tidy. He was also handsomer than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though; and tired-looking, with circles under his almost coal black eyes. From Scott’s description, this had to be Jake’s brother. 

"So, Mister Lee," Dr. Darwin said in a remarkably appealing voice, his accent hinting at a southern background, similar to Jake’s. "How’re ya feelin’?" 

"I'm fine," I said, for the last time, I hoped. 

He walked to the lightboard on the wall over my head, and turned it on. 

"Ya scans're lookin' good," he said. "Does ya head hurt? Jake said ya hit it pretty hard." 

"It's fine," I repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Jake, who winked and smirked in response. 

The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along my skull. He noticed when I winced. 

"Tender?" he asked. 

"Not really." I bluffed, shrugging nonchalantly as I pretended not to notice the good doctor's knowing grin. Technically it was true. I mean, I'd definitely had worse. 

I heard a chuckle, and I looked over to see Jake’s patronizing smile. My eyes narrowed. 

"Well, I don't wanna take a chance, so I'm gonna order ya an X-ray to be safe, 'kay?" Dr. Darwin said, narrowing his dark but warm eyes at me when I opened my mouth to protest. "For my, personal peace o' mind?" He drawled, chuckling as my jaw snapped shut with an audible click; scowling at the unfairly beautiful man accusingly. "Alrighty... ladies?"

A gaggle of nurses hovering near the door rushed over and they wheeled me away to X-ray my head, my head twisting on the bed to throw a final sulky pout at Jake; though his eyes were locked on his brother's. I told everyone I encountered that there was nothing wrong; and I was right. Not even a concussion. I asked if I could leave, but the nurse said I had to talk to the doctor again first. So I was trapped in the ER, waiting.

I closed my eyes. Honestly, this almost dying malarkey is kind of exhausting. I don't recommend it at all. But still I lay there, quietly. I was only vaguely aware of Scott threatening Caleb with the loss of his driving licence. I'd have to talk to him once we were home and remind him he can't go around making threats to anyone who accidentally; _almost_ hurts me sometimes. I mean, it would end up being a pretty long list. But it's rare to see him lash out so strongly. I guess fear is a big motivator.

I drew in a deep breath, pushing thoughts of Scott, Caleb and the rest of the damn town out of my head; just breathing and thinking as little as possible. In my head I saw a vast ocean, cerulean blue. And I pretended not to know that my subconscious was stuck on Jake as I drifted into a light doze.

I struggled back to wakefulness at the sound of harsh whispers, my eyes fluttering open slowly as I rose from the hazy dreams of crystal blues seas, sandy brown beaches and dirty green trees. Yep; still ignoring my subconscious.

I blink when I recognise one of the voices, I mean; how can I not? The guy spends most of his time infuriating me, after all. Jake's drawl was surly, his mood obviously dark as he snarked at somebody just outside of the door to the room I had been returned to. "Ain't a big deal, stop bein' such a damn drama queen." He said, his gruff voice low, muffled perhaps by the closed door. "What the hell was I s'posed to do? Let him die?"

"You're being a reckless prick, and you know it." A female voice hissed back, startling me fully awake with the force of it's venomous tone. "This ain't just about _you_, asshole!" I couldn't place the voice, but somehow I sensed it was one of the Darwin's. It was a natural conclusion, right? They were all so alike, but not.

"Snape's right," Dr. Darwin's jovial drawl cut in, amused but admonishing together. "'S 'bout all of us, Grandpa... ya can't just throw yaself into the spotlight like that. There's gonna be a whole lotta attention on ya for awhile now." He warned with a click of his tongue.

Grandpa? I thought, frowning at the weird endearment. Wasn't Jake the younger of the two? I rolled my head slowly toward the door, biting my lip as I caught the brief glimpse of a shadow through the frosted doorway window.

"Ah, hell. Ain't gonna be anythin' come of it. He hit his head, ain't nobody gonna believe—"

I could feel my eyes widening, my heart skipping a beat at the words; knowing now that this was a conversation about me. A soft gasp passed my lips; and I immediately regretted it, because Jake fell silent along with the other voices. They couldn't have heard me though, right? No. Taylor's paranoia strikes again.

"I'll see ya later, Skrillex." Jake's drawl had a hint of finality to it which apparently the mystery talker took note of. With a scoff, I heard footsteps retreat down the hall; and after a tense heartbeats pause, the doors opened inward.

I closed my eyes and stretched innocently, drawing in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Typical, just woken up and totally wasn't eavesdropping stuff. Once more; the smoothness of Taylor in action.

I feigned a sleepy smile as I opened my eyes, willing my eyes to convey innocence as I slowly sat up and glanced at Jake briefly; and then locked my gaze onto Dr. Darwin.

"Took a nap, huh?" Dr. Darwin asked, his smile as warm as his dark eyes as he came to a halt at the end of my bed. "Probably ain't the smartest of ideas, Kid, considerin' the knock ya noggin' took..." he mused, winking as I ducked my head sheepishly and scratched the back of my neck. "But, lucky enough, ya in the best place to do dumb shit like that."

"What can I say?" I huffed, dropping my hand to my lap and looking up at Dr. Darwin with a half grin. The guy was at least friendly, as opposed to his brother; who was leaning against the end of Caleb's bed with a scowl as he watched Dr. Darwin run through some basic reaction tests. "After all the excitement, I just... couldn't resist."

Dr. Darwin frowned, his dark eyes concerned as he peered down at me. "Are ya dizzy? Maybe we missed somethin' after all." He murmured, feeling along my neck to make sure I didn't have any other secondary injuries. "Sounds kinda like symptoms for a concussion, but ya already been cleared... maybe we oughta do another scan—"

"No!" I yelped, ignoring Jake's amused snort from across the room, trying to make my eyes as wide and pleading as a cartoon. "Please, I'm fine! I promise!" I hate that I sound like I'm begging, which I technically am, but I really don't want to have to be here any longer.

"Alright, Kid, don't get ya panties in a bunch." Dr. Darwin snickered, as I felt my cheeks flood with warmth. "Ya X-ray came back clear, like ya scans, so the hospital is willin' to cut ya loose." He said kindly. "Ya pap’s out in the waitin' room, ya can go home with him now. But come back if ya feel dizzy or have trouble with ya eyesight at all." He added, stepping back but waggling a finger at me both playfully and warningly.

"Can't I go back to college?" I asked, imagining Scott’s tendency to be over attentive when either Jordan and I were sick as kids. I didn’t have the temperament whilst so confused and irritable to be having to deal with his mother henning too.

"Maybe ya oughta take it easy today." 

I glanced at Jake. "Does _he_ get to go to college?" 

"Someone’s gotta spread the good news we survived," Jake snickered smugly, spreading his palms as his clear eyes danced with amusement. 

"Actually," Dr. Darwin corrected, "seems most'a the college's in the waitin' room."

"Oh no," I moaned, covering my face with my hands.

Dr. Darwin raised his eyebrows. "D'ya want to stay, after all?" 

"I don’t know!" I snarked irritably, blushing when Dr. Darwin chuckled warmly. I cleared my throat, willing my warm cheeks to cool. “I mean, no…” I coughed instead, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly. Too quickly. I staggered; and Dr. Darwin caught me. He looked concerned.

"I'm fine," I assured him again. No need to tell him my balance problems had nothing to do with hitting my head; and much more to do with the way his brother kept infiltrating my thoughts. 

"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested as he steadied me.

"It doesn't hurt that bad," I insisted. 

"Sounds like ya got awful lucky," Dr. Darwin said, smiling as he signed my chart with a flourish. 

"Lucky Jake _happened_ to be standing next to me," I amended with a hard glance at the subject of my statement. 

"Oh, well, uh... yeah." Dr. Darwin agreed, suddenly intensely occupied with the papers in front of him. Then he looked away, at Caleb; and walked over to the other students bed. My intuition flickered, whatever annoying secret Jake had; the doctor was in on it. Clarity struck abruptly; not just the good doctor, but _all _of the makeshift Darwin clan.

"Mr. Mitchell, ya in luck! _You_ get to stay with us a little longer," he said to Caleb, grinning as he began checking his cuts. 

As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Jake's side. 

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. He took a step back from me, his jaw suddenly clenched. 

"Ya Pa's waitin' for ya," he said through his teeth.

I glanced at Dr. Darwin and Caleb. "I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I pressed. 

He glared, then turned his back and strode down the long room. I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the comer into a short hallway, he spun around to face me. 

"Whaddaya want now?" he demanded, sounding annoyed. His beautiful, clear eyes were cold. 

His unfriendliness intimidated me. My words came out with less severity than I'd intended. "You owe me an explanation," I reminded him quietly.

"I saved ya damn life; I don't owe ya a lick o' nothin'." 

I flinched back from the resentment in his voice. "That's... That's technically something."

"Smartass."

"You promised." 

"Taylor, ya hit ya head. Ya dunno what ya talkin' 'bout." His tone was cutting. 

My temper flared now, and I glared defiantly at him. "There's nothing wrong with my head." I insisted, narrowing my eyes as I held myself as tall as I could.

This sounds impressive, but it's really not. Another thing about me; I'm short. Like, five foot four is _not_ an okay height for guys as a rule. Maybe another reason I'm so weirdly obsessed; I mean, _annoyed_ with Jake, is that he's not so intimidatingly tall compared to me. He's maybe five foot nine; and if I'm not mistaken, he wears boots. Heeled boots. Somehow its hard to be scared of this guy staring at me anymore, now I've noticed this. I would laugh, maybe even make fun of it in good humor. But none of us was, at the moment.

He glared back. "What the hell d'ya want from me, Taylor?" 

"I want to know the truth," I hissed. "I want to know why I'm lying for you." 

"Whaddaya think happened?" he snapped. 

It came out in a rush. "All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me; Caleb didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. That van was going to crush us both! But it didn't; and your hands left dents in the side of it... and you left a dent in the other car, but you're not hurt at all! And the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up..." I could hear how crazy it sounded. Eventually, I ran out of steam. My eyes locked onto Jake's, my jaw locking with irritation. I couldn't continue. I was so mad I could feel the tears coming; I tried to force them back by pinching my leg. Hard. 

He was staring at me incredulously. But his face was tense, defensive. 

"Ya think I lifted a van offa ya?" His tone questioned my sanity, but it only made me more suspicious. It was like a perfectly delivered line by a skilled actor. 

I still couldn't trust myself to speak, so I merely nodded once, jaw tight. 

Jake clucked his tongue in his cheek, his cold eyes surveying me with a sneer. "Nobody'll believe that, ya know." His voice held an edge of derision now. 

Really? Just what the hell did this asshole think of me? Disgust welled up in me; and it must have shown in my eyes because the infuriatingly handsome, scruffy, annoying man did a curious double take of me. "I'm not going to tell anybody." I said each word slowly, carefully controlling my anger. 

Surprise flitted across his face. "Then why the hell's it matter?" 

"It matters to me," I insisted. "I don't like to lie; so there'd better be a damn good reason why I'm doing it." 

"Can't ya just thank me and get the hell over it?" 

"Thanks." I bit out unconvincingly. Then I waited, fuming and expectant. 

"Ya ain't gonna let it go, are ya?" 

"Nope." 

"Welp," Jake hummed, leaning forward as his clear eyes sparked with an icy touch of fury. "Hope ya enjoy disappointment then, Boy Scout." 

We scowled at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying to keep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by his livid, glorious face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying; if incredibly scruffy angel. 

"Why did you even bother?" I demanded hotly, shaking my head as my hand curled into a fist at my side. 

He paused; and for a brief moment his stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable. 

"I dunno," he whispered. 

And then he turned his back on me and walked away. 

I was so angry, it took me a few minutes until I could move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit at the end of the hallway. 

The waiting room was even more unpleasant than I'd already been dreading. It seemed like every face I knew in Cedar Cove was there, staring at me. Scott rushed to my side; I put up my hands to prevent his inevitable rambling concerns over whether he should carry me out to the car. 

"There's nothing wrong with me," I assured him sullenly. I was still aggravated, not in the mood for chitchat or Scott's mother hen routine. 

"What did the doctor say?" 

"Dr. Darwin saw me, and he said I was fine and I could go home." I sighed. Brian and Zoe and Myra were all there, beginning to converge on us. "Let's go," I urged. After facing down Jake McKenzie; the last thing I needed was to have to deal with creepy Brian.

Scott put one arm behind my back, not quite touching me, and led me to the glass doors of the exit. I waved distractedly at my friends, hoping to convey what _everyone _else seemed incapable of understanding; that I was _fine_. It was a huge relief to get into the cruiser... I wondered distantly if Scott would let me use the sirens now. Near death experience and all.

We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Scott was there in all honesty. I was positive that Jake's defensive behavior in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things I still found it difficult to believe I'd witnessed. 

When we got to the house, Scott finally spoke. 

"Um... you'll need to call Julia." He hung his head, guilty. 

I was appalled. "You told Mom!" 

Scott made a rough jerking motion with his arm, an apparent 'duh' gesture which only served to fuel my still lingering temper. "Sorry. Jordan probably knows, too." 

I slammed the cruiser's door a little harder than necessary on my way out. 

My mom was in hysterics, of course. Both she and Jordan spoke through the phone, trying to talk over each other at me. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose and wonder if I just imagined hearing Jim and Michael's voice, both trying to console them. When I finally got a word out, I had to tell them I felt fine at least thirty times before they would calm down. Possibly helped with Jim, and probably Michael, being around as voices of reason. Mom begged me to come home; forgetting the fact that home would likely be empty by the time I got there due to Jordan's next upcoming match, but her pleas were easier to resist than I would have thought. I was consumed by the mystery Jake presented. And more than a little obsessed by Jake himself.

Stupid, stupid, smitten, stupid.

No, not smitten. Just stupid.

Not to mention that I wasn't as eager to escape Cedar Cove, as Julia and Jordan always expected I would be. Not even Jordan offering to move out of my room again tempted me. But then, I planned to kick him out anyway, if I ever did go back.

I decided I might as well go to bed early that night. Scott continued to watch me anxiously; and it was making me feel tetchier than ever. It might also have made me feel a tiny bit guilty for snapping at him earlier; and I wanted to saviour my righteous indignity for just one night. Despite that, I spare a moment to hug him quickly, then stopped on my way to my room to grab three Tylenol from the bathroom. They did help; which I was irrationally petulant over. Stupid Jake and his handsome, much kinder brother. As the pain slowly eased, I drifted to sleep. 

That was the first night I dreamed of Jake McKenzie.


	4. Curiosity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're at the fourth chapter, yay~♡
> 
> If it isn't obvious, I'm a hard Jordan x Michael shipper. It actually pains me they can't be directly present at the story. So I compensated for that in the best way I can. Sorry, not sorry.  
(ﾉ≧ω≦)
> 
> We decided after every fifth chapter intervals, we're going to have an interim chapter wherein it would be like a summary of the previous chapters told through Jake's perspective.
> 
> A summary of the character roles would be posted there too.
> 
> Some in depth technicalities might be thrown in for the benefit of those who possibly never read or watched Twilight.
> 
> Thank you for reading this work so far, and hope you stay till the end of it.
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Curiosity**

In my dream it was very dark; and what limited, dim light there was seemed to be radiating from Jake's skin. I couldn't see his face, just his back; as ever, walking away from me. Leaving me in the blackness. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't catch up to him; no matter how loud I called, he never turned. Troubled, I woke in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep again for what seemed like an endless time. 

After that, he was in my dreams nearly every night, but always on the periphery, never within reach.

The week that followed the accident was uneasy, tense; and, at first, embarrassing.

To my dismay, I found myself the center of attention for almost every hour I was in college; I was severely tempted to reconsider going home and kicking Jordan out of my room. The hell with everyone. 

Caleb Mitchell was impossible, following me around, obsessed with making amends to me somehow. I tried to convince him what I wanted more than anything else was for him to forget all about it and _ leave me alone_; especially since nothing had actually happened to me, but still he remained insistent. He followed me between classes and sat at our now-crowded lunch table. Brian seethed but Zoe and Myra were perfectly fine with Caleb. I feel that Brian hasn't tried anything was because the olive skinned boy was still recovering from the collision and he would have hell to pay by both the college and numerous parents if he used it to his advantage.

As for me, I was more worried about what might happen after Caleb's full recovery. If I had to deal with this shit on a daily basis for much longer, my temper was gonna burn a lot of people.

No one seemed concerned about Jake, though. I explained over and over that he was the hero; how he had pulled me out of the way and had nearly been crushed, too. I tried to be convincing. Zoe, Brian, Myra; and everyone else, always commented that they hadn't even seen him there till the van was pulled away; but I made certain to honour my part of our bargain and told them he had absolutely been standing right beside me, perhaps hidden by my truck... even if the stupid, handsome prick _ had _ broken his promise to explain.

I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my life. They all bought my lies without question; another mind boggling fact, seeing as I was such an open book. With chagrin, I realized the probable cause; no one else was as aware of Jake as I always was. No one else watched him the way I did. How conveni— I mean, pitiful.

Jake was never surrounded by crowds of curious bystanders eager for his firsthand account. People avoided him as usual. The Darwin's and the McKenzie's sat at the same table as always, not eating, talking only among themselves. None of them, especially Jake, so much as glanced my way anymore.

I told myself it didn't sting anymore… but I'm a bad liar. Even to myself.

When Jake sat next to me in class, as far from me as the table would allow, he seemed totally unaware of my existence. Only now and then, when his fists would suddenly ball up; skin stretched even whiter over the bones, did I wonder if he wasn't quite as oblivious as he appeared.

He wished he hadn't pulled me from the path of Caleb's van. There was no other conclusion I could come to. It was disconcerting that I had started to wish he hadn't too. I was appalled that I missed that brief spark of curiosity he'd shown, the one time he'd really talked to me; before our heated showdown at the hospital.

I wanted very much to talk to him; and the day after the accident I tried. The last time I'd seen him, outside the ER, we'd both been so furious. I still was pissed that he wouldn't trust me with the truth, even though I was keeping my part of the bargain flawlessly. But he had in fact saved my life, no matter how he'd done it. And, overnight, the heat of my anger faded into shy and repentant gratitude.

He was already seated when I got to English Lit, looking down and toying with something around his neck. I sat down, expecting him to turn toward me. But he showed no sign that he realized I was even there; leaning back in his chair as close to the window as possible.

"Hello, Jake," I said pleasantly, smiling shyly and pretending my heart wasn't racing like a goddamn derby car at the courage I'd had to gather in order to bring myself to speak to him, trying to show him I was going to behave myself.

He lifted his chin a fraction toward me without looking up or meeting my gaze, a vague hint of acknowledgement. And otherwise, a total dismissal of my presence.

And that was the last contact I'd had with him. Even though he was there, barely a scant foot away from me, every day. I watched him sometimes, unable to stop myself. Well, from a distance, I mean. Say, in the cafeteria or the parking lot. I watched as his cerulean eyes grew perceptibly darker day by day; until they were once more that coal black, with dark circles like a beneath them. But in class; I gave no more notice that he existed than he showed toward me. I was proud of myself for that small achievement. 

I was also miserable. My heart sank to my stomach; and remained there to rot. I was disgusted by that. I'd seen Jordan sulk over missing Michael at times when we traveled; I refused to believe I looked so pathetic.

And... the dreams continued.

Despite my outright lies, the tenor of my emails alerted Jordan and Julia separately to my depression. They called a few times, Julia usually in the afternoon once I got home; Jordan in the evenings, when I was either pacing restlessly or doodling aimlessly on notepads. I tried to convince them it was just a stubborn piece of coursework that had me down. I hated that they were so worried. It had even got to the point that, when Jordan was particularly busy with his training, he asked Michael to contact and check on me.

It was an awkward phone call for us both. We were in good terms, but not yet close enough to go beyond the common small talk. It was kinda sweet, in a way, that Michael; who Jordan said was a bit of a rebel and would never do what he didn't want to, went out of his way, risked the awkwardness and complied with my brother's request. 

I would playfully slander Jordan for a lot of things, but he sure picked a good one.

Brian, at least, was enjoying the weeks progression. He was entirely too smug as he showed off as often as possible, despite his consistent tug of war with Caleb for my attention during lunch. It was clear he was inexorably pleased by the new level of frigidity between me and my English partner. I could see he'd been worried that Jake's daring rescue might have impressed me; outshining his own self proclaimed but non-existent glory and bravery; and he seemed genuinely relieved that it seemed to have the opposite effect. He grew steadily more confident, leaning against the edge of my table and flexing as we talked; oblivious to my awkward cringing, before English Lit class started, ignoring Jake just as completely as he ignored us.

The snow washed away for good after that one dangerously icy day. I was a bit upset with that and Brian was down right depressed that he'd never gotten to stage his snowball fight, but pleased that the beach trip would soon be possible. He commented that he would be taking his new swimming trunks to show off the tan lines he'd been working on. I thought he was a moron, especially when the rain continued heavily, over the next few days.

I privately hoped the whole damn weekend would be as miserable as I was. I wanted to take a chance to mope and wallow in my room. I felt entitled to a day of teenage melancholy; near death experience and all that.

Zoe made me aware of another event looming on the horizon; she called on the Tuesday to ask my permission to invite Brian to the girls' choice spring dance in two weeks.

I wondered why it was called a spring dance, when we were only barely into October.

"Are you sure you don't mind... you weren't planning to go with him?" she persisted when I told her I didn't mind in the least. I knew I would still trying to wrap my head around that sometime next month; why on _ earth _ would I go anywhere with Brian? Let alone by choice.

"No, Zoe, I'm not gonna be going. And it doesn't really matter, since you girls get the 'primary' choice," I assured her.

No need to mention that I just couldn't face being around so many fumbling, groping college students. I knew if I attended that stupid dance, I'd spend the entire night thinking about Jake. If I just decided now not to go; I couldn't be disappointed when he never asked me.

Just because I'd told Zoe I respected the 'girl's choice' rule, didn't mean I would turn down the irritating and gorgeous, bane of my existence.

"It will be really fun." Her attempt to convince me was halfhearted. I suspected that Zoe enjoyed my inexplicable popularity more than my actual company.

I was actually okay with that.

"You go have fun with Brian, I'm good." I encouraged.

The next day, I was surprised that Zoe wasn't her usual gushing self. She was silent as she walked by my side between classes, and I was afraid to ask her why. If Brian had turned her down, I was the last person she would want to tell; because Brian was the kind of dumbass that never considered other people's feelings.

My fears were strengthened during lunch when Zoe sat as far from Brian as possible, chatting animatedly with another girl with long dark hair like her own, I vaguely recalled her name was Kara. Brian was unusually, but pleasantly quiet.

Brian was still quiet as he walked me to class, the disgruntled look on his face a bad sign. But he didn't broach the subject until I was in my seat and he was leaning against my desk. As always, I was electrically aware of Jake sitting close enough to touch, but as distant as if he were merely an invention of my imagination.

"So," Brian said, looking at the floor with uncharacteristic awkwardness. "Zoe asked me to the spring dance."

"Dude, that's great." I made my voice bright and enthusiastic. "You'll have a fun with Zoe, she's a cool girl."

"Well..." He floundered as he examined my smile, clearly not happy with my response. "I told her I had to think about it."

"Why would you do that?" I let disapproval colour my tone, though I was relieved he hadn't given her an absolute no.

His face was a dull and blotchy red as he looked down again. If it were anyone else, I might have felt pity shake my resolve.

"I was wondering if... well, if you wanted to go with me."

I paused for a moment, hating the wave of revulsion that swept through me. But I saw, from the corner of my eye, Jake's head tilt reflexively in my direction. I hated the thrill of his attention turned towards me.

"Brian, I'm pretty sure the dance is 'girls' choice.'" I said, trying to buy myself some time. I arranged my face into what I hoped was suitably admonishing. "I think you should tell her yes," I added.

"Did you already ask someone?"

Did Jake notice how Brian's eyes flickered in his direction? Well, at least he couldn't hear the stupid jump in my pulse at the thought of _him_ asking me.

"No," I assured him. "I'm not a girl, so I'm not asking anyone." I said slowly. Could he really be this thick? Was his bravado and cocky attitude really just to hide the level of his stupidity? "Besides, I'm not going to the dance at all." I said abruptly, shrugging my shoulder nonchalantly.

"Why not?" Brian demanded.

I wasn't about to voice the irritatingly sappy dreams of being asked by someone else, so I quickly made plans in my head, spreading my palms as I forced a small grin.

"I'm going to Seattle that Saturday," I explained. I needed to get out of town anyway; I felt it was suddenly the perfect time to go.

"Can't you go some other weekend?"

"Nope." I said. "So you shouldn't make Zoe wait any longer. It's rude; and she won't wait forever... she might already have someone else in mind."

"Yeah, you're right," he mumbled, his brow furrowing darkly as he nodded and turned, frowning all the walk back to his seat. "Guess she's pretty hot, too."

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to push the disgust out of my head, plus the temptation of smacking him for objectifying people. I'm pretty sure, at this point, Brian may not be as into me as Caleb was and he's probably vying for my attention due to the reputation boost that comes with it. It still baffles me why I'm being put on top the 'popularity' pedestal just for being the new kid. Isn't it normally the other way around?

Am I just a piece of arm candy, or are all these people genuinely into me? I was starting to wonder if I even needed to tell anyone my sexuality, the guys all seemed to just hit on me regardless. Well, almost all.

All but the one I wanted to.

Mr. Chalmers began talking. I sighed and opened my eyes.

And discovered Jake was staring at me curiously, that same, familiar edge of frustration even more distinct now in his black eyes.

"What?" I demanded rudely as I glared back, unfairly surprised, caught off guard by his sudden attention; expecting him to look quickly away again with his obvious disdain clear.

But instead he continued to gaze with probing intensity into my eyes. There was no question of me looking away. My hands started to shake.

"Mr. McKenzie?" the lecturer called, seeking the answer to a question that I hadn't even heard.

"Alexandre Dumas," Jake answered, seeming reluctant as he turned to look at Mr. Banner.

I looked down at my book as soon as his eyes released me, trying to find my place. I wished forcefully that I hadn't had my hair cut quite so short, wishing I could have used it to hide my face. 

I couldn't believe the rush of emotion pulsing through me; just because he'd happened to look at me for the first time in a half dozen days. I couldn't allow him to have this level of influence over me. It was pathetic. More than pathetic, it was unhealthy. I didn't think Jordan or Michael had been obsessing over each other this much during their pre-relationship stage.

Okay, maybe I thought it a little; but I was _not_ that sappy.

I tried very hard not to be aware of Jake for the rest of the hour; and, since that was impossible, I tried to at least not let him know that I was aware of him. When the bell rang at last, I turned my back to him to gather my things, expecting him to leave immediately as usual.

"Taylor?" His voice shouldn't have been so familiar to me, as if I'd known the sound of it all my life rather than for just a few short days; barely weeks really, considering the week he took off after meeting me.

I froze, my heart unfairly fluttering with pathetic, giddy joy at his attention. I turned slowly, unwillingly. I didn't want to feel what I knew I would feel when I looked at his too-perfect face. My expression was carefully wary when I finally turned to him; his expression was unreadable. He didn't say anything.

"What? Are you speaking to me again?" I finally asked, an unintentional note of petulance in my voice.

His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "Naw, not really," he admitted.

I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly through my nose, aware that I was gritting my teeth. He waited.

"Then what do you want, Jake?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed; it was easier to talk to him coherently that way, without his stupid, gorgeous face to confuse me... until my subconscious helpfully envisioned it on the back of my eyelids.

"Sorry." He sounded an infuriating combination of both sincere and anything but. "I'm bein' an ass, I know. But... 's just better this way."

I opened my eyes. His face was very serious.

"I don't know what you mean," I said, my voice guarded.

"'S just better if we ain't, ya know... friends," he explained. "Trust me."

My eyes narrowed. I'd heard that from him before. I was positive I saw his lips twitch at my reaction, as if he knew what I was thinking.

"I don't recall you having a say in what I decide to do with my life. Saving it doesn't give you ownership rights, you know." I said, fighting to keep my jaw from dropping.

Did I just say something awesome? Without embarrassing myself? Huh, wow... so that's what it felt like. 

I sighed, shaking my head as I lowered my eyes from his with an ache of disappointment in my empty chest. "I guess it's too bad you didn't figure that out earlier," I muttered, deflating as my fury at him abruptly melted into dejection. "You could have saved yourself all this regret."

"Regret?" The word, and my tone, obviously caught him off guard. "Regret for what?"

"For not just letting that stupid van crush me." I said quietly, shaking my head as my eyes watering with frustration. 

He was astonished. He stared at me in open disbelief; the first utterly clear emotion I could read from the insanely infuriating man. Finally I had stunned the cocky bastard; but I could take no pleasure in that knowledge.

I turned my head sharply away from him, clenching my jaw against all the wild accusations I wanted to hurl at him. I gathered my books together, then stood and walked to the door. I meant to sweep dramatically out of the room, but of course I caught the toe of my boot on the door jamb and dropped my stuff. I stood there for a moment, seriously considering leaving them there to rot; hell, considering leaving the whole damn town in my dust. But then I sighed and bent to pick them up. He was already there; hell, he'd already stacked them into a damn pile. He handed them to me, his face hard.

"Thanks." I bit out tiredly.

His eyes narrowed. "Ya welcome," he retorted. When he finally spoke again, he almost sounded mad. "Ya really think I regret savin' ya life?"

"I know you do," I mumbled, lowering my eyes to shove some of my books in my bag.

"Ya ain't gotta damn clue 'bout nothin'." He was definitely mad.

I straightened up, my eyes meeting his again briefly as his brow furrowed in frustration and confusion, before I turned and began walking away. "I know you hate me." I snarked beneath my breath, too exhausted with Jake in general to bother arguing further with the man. I stalked off to Gym without looking back, slightly dizzy from my wildly fluctuating emotions.

Gym was brutal. We'd moved on to basketball, and that was even worse than volleyball. Caleb still wasn't cleared to play, and no one in my team would passed me the ball, so that was good, but I fell down a lot. Sometimes I took people with me. Today I was worse than usual because my head was so filled with daydreams about kis— I mean, smacking Jake. I tried to concentrate on my feet, but he kept creeping back into my thoughts just when I really needed my balance.

It was a relief, as always, to leave. I almost ran to the truck; there were just so many people I wanted to avoid when I was so emotionally strung out.

I definitely needed to check out that camping gear, because I needed some goddamn alone time in the wilderness.

The truck had suffered only minimal damage in the accident. I'd had to replace the taillights, and if I'd had a real paint job, I would have touched that up. Caleb's parents had to sell their van for parts.

I almost had a stroke when I rounded the corner and saw a short, lean figure leaning against the side of my truck. Then I realized it was just Myra. I started walking again.

"Hey, Myra," I called.

"Hi, Taylor."

"What's up?" I said as I was unlocking the door. I wasn't paying attention to the uncertain edge in her voice, so her next words took me by surprise.

"So, about the girl's choice dance..." She started, and I immediately stiffened. Myra never showed any interest towards me, so if she was trying to ask me, it had me going and I'm totally blindsided. "... You think you can help me hook up Cameron with Aiden?"

I blinked, staring at her. "What?" I did not expect that. Obviously.

"Aiden, he's in the band club with me and Cameron. Actually, he's head chair of the club and my best friend." Myra shrugged, "I know Cameron's had a little crush on him for a while, and Aiden seems like he's interested in them too. But they're both too shy to actually do something about it."

My emotions clashed again. Relief flooded me because I didn't have to worry that I'd gained another unhealthy admirer; but then I was also fairly disappointed about having to go to Seattle on that day. I actually like Myra and Cameron, way more than Brian anyway. But who didn't I like more than Brian? I like Caleb, too, when he's not trying to flirt with me, obviously. I felt that he could take the hint if I actually give it to him directly. And I love nothing more but to do a little matchmaking when the opportunity presents itself.

I did promise I'd help her with the 'hooking up' part, though. Just in the weeks before the dance.

"Shame, it would've been lit to have a partner in crime, all in the name of romance." Myra shrugs, "But I'll be sure to tell them to thank you too when they get together.

I snicker. "'When' not 'if.' I can get behind that kind of optimism any day."

Myra and I chatted a bit more, of different plans on how to get Aiden and Cameron alone. I immediately vetoed her plan in locking them in a janitor closet. I had a feeling Cameron wouldn't appreciate that much. I definitely wouldn't, telling Myra I'd probably end up stabbing myself with the broom and didn't need that written down in my Obituary.

Nobody needed to know my true reason for rejecting it was because it reminded me of Jordan and Michael's little escapade. Some things just ought to stay in the privacy of people's own homes; preferably in their _own_ bedrooms too.

I heard a low chuckle.

Jake was walking past the front of my truck, looking straight forward, his lips pressed together as if to suppress a smirk.

Having band practice, Myra gave me a playful salute, and walked off, meeting some Asian dude half way. The guy eyed her suspiciously and I suspected that it was one of the victims in our new project; Aiden.

I yanked the door of my truck open and jumped inside, slamming it loudly behind me. I revved the engine deafeningly and reversed out into the aisle. Jake was in his car already, two spaces down, sliding out smoothly in front of me, cutting me off. He stopped there; in the middle of the road, to wait for his family. I could see the four of them walking this way, but still by the cafeteria. Nowhere near the parking lot.

I considered taking out the rear of his shiny Audi, but there were too many witnesses. I looked in my rearview mirror. A line was beginning to form. Directly behind me, Caleb Mitchell was in his recently acquired used Volvo, waving. I was too aggravated by Jake goddamn McKenzie to acknowledge him.

While I was sitting there, looking everywhere but at the car in front of me, I heard a knock on my passenger side window. I looked over; it was Caleb. I glanced back in my rearview mirror, confused. His car was still running, the door left open. I leaned across the cab to crank the window down. It was stiff. I got it halfway down, then gave up.

"I'm sorry, Caleb, I'm stuck behind McKenzie." I was annoyed; my temper flaring and leaving me dizzy again from my wildly fluctuating emotions. Obviously the holdup wasn't my fault, so why was Caleb knocking in my window instead of the prick in front of me?

"Oh, I know; I just wanted to ask you something while we're trapped here." He grinned.

I blinked, dread spiraling through me. This could not be happening. Why? Why me? 

"Will you ask me to the spring dance?" he continued.

"Do I look like a fucking girl?!" I demanded icily, barely repressing a snarl as Caleb had the good grace to flush with embarrassment and shake his head minutely. "Then I won't be asking _anybody_, will I?"

I had to remember it wasn't his fault that Brian had already used up my quota of patience for the day. Myra made it a little bit better but the matchmaking scheme, but for some reasons, but really; this was getting ridiculous. I made an effort to calm myself and forced a heavy sigh.

"I'm not going to be in town, Caleb." My voice still sounded a little sharp, but hey, I tried.

Grip. I thought, Get a grip, Taylor. I firmly kept my eyes away from the car in front and blanked off any thought about gripping anything after that.

"Yeah, I heard Brian rant about that," Caleb admitted with a face.

I paused, frowning in confusion. "Then why—"

Caleb shrugged. "I was hoping you were just letting him down easy."

Okay, I take it back. It's all his fault. Hell, I really can't keep doing this. 

"Sorry, Caleb," I said, working to hide my irritation. "I really am going out of town."

"That's cool. We still have the end of year ball."

And before I could respond, he was walking back to his car. I could feel the shock on my face. I looked forward to see Quinn, Zahra, Craig, and Kele all sliding gracefully into the Audi. In his rearview mirror, Jake's eyes were on me. He was unquestionably shaking with laughter, as if he'd heard every word Caleb had said.

My eyes narrowed as my full, fiery temper returned with a passion. My foot inched further on the gas pedal, rolling me half a centimetre closer. Jake was blatantly howling with laughter at my behaviour. I wondered if he realised my serious consideration. One little bump wouldn't hurt any of them, just that glossy silver paint job. I revved the engine threateningly and bared my teeth at Jake in his mirror.

But then they were all in, and Jake was already speeding away. I drove home slowly, muttering to myself the whole way.

When I got home, I decided to make chicken enchiladas for dinner. It was a long process, and it would keep me busy, which would help me to reign in my temper. While I was simmering the onions and chilies, the phone rang. I was almost afraid to answer it, but it might be Scott or Julia. Hell, it could be Jordan, because my brother was actually showing more concern that I'd expect him to be.

Please don't let it be another awkward call from Michael, though.

It was Zoe; and she was jubilant.

Brian had caught her after school to accept her invitation. I celebrated with her briefly while I stirred. She had to go, she wanted to call Cameron and this other girl, Kara, to tell them.

I suggested, with a casual innocence I was immensely proud of, that maybe Cameron would ask Aiden. And Morgan, a standoffish girl with a bright blue mohawk, who had always ignored me at the lunch table, could ask Caleb. If she didn't, perhaps Kara could; if she and her sort-of boyfriend, Max, were on a cool-off.... again.

Please let someone, _anyone_ take Caleb.

Zoe thought that was a great idea. Now that she was sure of Brian, she actually sounded sincere when she said she wished I would go to the dance. I gave her my Seattle excuse.

After I hung up, I tried to concentrate on dinner; dicing the chicken especially; I didn't want to take another trip to the emergency room so soon. But my head was spinning, trying to analyze every word Jake had spoken today.

What did he mean, it was better if we weren't friends?

My stomach twisted as I realized what he must have meant. He must see how absorbed I was by him; he must not want to lead me on. So he decided that we couldn't even be friends... because he wasn't interested in me at all.

Well, I mean, of course he wasn't interested in me, I thought angrily, my eyes stinging; a delayed reaction to the onions. I wasn't Jordan; I wasn't _interesting_. And Jake was. Interesting and brilliant. Mysterious and gorgeous; and smooth as fuck, definitely more so than me... and also, possibly able to lift full-sized vans with one hand

Well, that was... doable, I supposed. I could leave him alone. I _would_ leave him alone. I would get through my college experience I had so desperately wanted here in my personal haven, and then hopefully some company, possibly somewhere nice and cold like Alaska, would offer me an apprenticeship. I focused my thoughts on snowy fields and penguins as I finished the enchiladas and put them in the oven.

Scott seemed suspicious when he came home and smelled the green peppers. I couldn't blame him; the closest edible Mexican food was probably in southern California. But he was a cop, even if just a small-town cop, so he was brave enough to take that all important first bite. He seemed to like it. It was fun to watch as he slowly began trusting me in the kitchen.

"Dad?" I asked when he was almost done.

"Yeah, Tay-bear?"

I bit back a complain. I did say I would allow him some time to enjoy its use, after all. "Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday... if that's okay?"

I didn't want to ask permission; it set a bad precedent, I mean, I'm twenty for god's sake. But it felt rude, so I tacked it on at the end.

"Why?" He sounded surprised, as if he were unable to imagine something that Cedar Cove couldn't offer.

It was slightly depressing that he probably did think that.

"Well, I wanted to get a few books... the library here is next to awful; so I'm gonna have to go for this alone. But maybe I could look at some hiking equipment. I'm going to check Mr. Mitchell's store, but it can't hurt to check in Seattle too. You know, in case they have better and still relatively cheap equipment... maybe they'll even have a winter sale on."

I had more money than I had been expecting to have at this point in my stay since, thanks to Scott, I hadn't had to pay for a car. Not that the truck didn't cost me quite a bit in the gas department.

"That truck probably doesn't get very good gas mileage," Scott said, echoing my thoughts.

"I know, I'll stop in Montesano and Olympia; and Tacoma if I have to."

"Are you going all by yourself?" Scott frowned as he asked; and I couldn't tell if he was suspicious I had a secret boyfriend or just worried about potential truck trouble. 

Or maybe just protective since that last accident.

"Yes."

"Seattle is a big city; you could get lost," he fretted.

"Dad, Sunset beach is five times the size of Seattle; and I can read a map. You taught me, remember? Don't worry about it. Still got the patch to prove it, too."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I blinked, surprised by the offer. "Do you want to come? I thought you'd be working..." I said. Contrary to Julia and Jordan's opinion, Scott wasn't a bad shopper. He didn't often show interest though, so the chance to spend some more time together wasn't something I minded at all. "I don't know how many book shops I will be looking through first, before finally making it to check out some hiking equipment though." I warned.

"Oh, okay."

The thought of having to stand around in numerous dusty bookstores for any period of time, immediately put him off. I kind of wish I hadn't mentioned that, because Scott would've been really helpful when shopping hiking equipment, but it wasn't fair to drag him around when he didn't share my love of reading. Unless they were books on trains; preferably models, but he wasn't picky. I made a mental note to pick him something up for his collection if I got a chance.

But really, I need to encourage him to find a hobby outside that. Still, there were quirkier things to be into. I should count myself grateful.

"Thanks anyway." I smiled at him.

"Will you be back in time for the dance?"

Oof. Only in a town this small would a father know when the college had dances scheduled.

Then again, it could also be chalked up to him being chief police and instructing his men to patrol the grounds on that night. God, I'm glad I wasn't going because that might mean he'd personally place himself on that duty.

"No, not this time, Dad."

Scott frowned at me, knowing I was hardly afraid to burst into either song or dance if I felt the moment called for it.

"I'm happier doing my own thing, getting myself sorted. I don't think I'm gonna feel fully settled in till I get myself some decent hiking stuff."

Scott understood that, and I tried not to blush at the proud little smirk on his lips. "Alright, Tay-bear," he said.

I think he's slowly coming to realise how different Jordan and I actually are. It makes me weirdly happy to hope that we can have a real relationship.

The next morning, when I pulled into the parking lot, I deliberately parked as far as possible from the silver Audi. I didn't want to put myself in the path of too much temptation and end up owing the jerk a new car. Getting out of the cab, I fumbled with my key and it fell into a puddle at my feet. As I bent to get it, a white hand flashed out and grabbed it before I could. I jerked upright. Jake McKenzie was right next to me, leaning casually against my truck.

"How do you do that?" I asked in amazed irritation.

"What?" He held my key out as he spoke. As I reached for it, he dropped it into my palm.

"Appear out of thin air."

"Boy Scout, it ain't my fault ya so damn unobservant." His voice was quieter than normal; velvet, instead of gruff.

I scowled at his perfect face. His eyes were light again today, once again a clear, cerulean blue colour. Then I had to look down, to reassemble my now-tangled thoughts.

"Why the traffic jam last night?" I demanded, still looking away. "I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating me to death."

"Was for Mitchell's sake, o' course. Need to give him his chance at the trophy and all." Jake snickered.

"You..." I gasped. I couldn't think of a bad enough word. It felt like the heat of my anger should physically burn him, but he only seemed more amused.

"And I ain't pretendin' ya don't exist," he continued. "Painfully hard thing to do, if I'm bein' honest."

"Oh, but you are trying to irritate me to death? Since Caleb's van didn't do the job?"

Anger flashed in his piercing eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, all signs of humor gone. "Taylor, ya bloody ridiculous sometimes," he said, his low voice cold.

My palms tingled. I wanted so badly to hit something. I was surprised at myself. I was usually a nonviolent person, much like Scott. I turned my back and started to walk away.

"Wait up," he called. I kept walking, sloshing angrily through the rain. But he was next to me, easily keeping pace. "Sorry," he said as we walked, sounding anything but. I ignored him. "Ain't saying it ain't true," he continued, "but it was a dick thing to say."

"Why won't you go back to leaving me alone?" I grumbled, pretending not to notice the way my heart fluttered in protest at the spiteful snark.

Jake was silent a moment, frowning faintly when I risked a sideways glance at his stupidly handsome face. "I uh, wanted to ask ya somethin'... but ya distracted me," he chuckled, seeming to recover his good humour quickly.

"Do you have a multiple personality disorder?" I asked severely.

"Ya doin' it again."

I sighed. "Fine then. What the hell do you want to ask?"

"I was wonderin' if, a week from Saturday; you know, the day of the spring dance—"

This was starting to get beyond ridiculous. "Are you trying to be funny?" I interrupted him, wheeling toward him. My face got drenched as I looked up at his expression, my poor hair instantly falling flat under the barrage of rain.

His eyes were wickedly amused. "Ya gonna lemme finish?"

I bit my lip and clasped my hands together, interlocking my fingers, so I couldn't do anything rash. I counted to ten in my head, narrowing my eyes accusingly.

"I heard ya say ya were goin' to Seattle that day... and I was wonderin' if ya wanted a ride."

I blinked. That was unexpected. I didn't do well with this sort of shock inducing, fury smothering kind of offer. "What?" I wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"D'ya wanna ride to Seattle?"

"With who?" I asked, mystified.

"Uh, me?" He said, eyeing me curiously, as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped.

I was still stunned. "Why?"

"Well, I was plannin' to go to Seattle in the next few weeks anyway... and; bein' honest, I ain't so sure if ya truck can make it."

"My truck works just fine, thank you very much for your _offer_." I bit out icily, my eyes blazing with fury. Nobody insulted my truck. I turned and started to walk again, but I was too surprised to maintain the proper level of anger to storm away gracefully.

"But can ya truck make it there on one tank o' gas?" He matched my pace again.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." I sniffed. Stupid, shiny Audi owner.

"The wastin' of finite resources is everyone's business."

"Honestly, Jake." I felt a thrill go through me as I said his name. I loved it and I hated it. "I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my friend."

"I said it'd be better if we weren't, not that I didn't wanna be."

"Oh, thanks, now that's all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm. I realized I had stopped walking again. We were under the shelter of the cafeteria roof now, so I could more easily look up at his face. Which certainly didn't help my clarity of thought.

"It'd just be... better for ya, not to get involved with me," he explained. "But honestly? I'm tired of tryin' to stay away from ya, Taylor."

His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence, his voice smoldering. I couldn't remember how to breathe.

"Will ya go with me, to Seattle?" he asked, still intense.

I couldn't speak yet, so I just nodded.

He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious.

"You really oughta stay away from me," he warned. "See ya in class."

He turned abruptly and walked back the way we'd come.


	5. Queries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 chapters, 5 days
> 
> This shows how obsessed we are doesn't it?
> 
> I often tell people Taylor is me - and my subtlety is just as nonexistent XD
> 
> Anyway; we're enjoying ourselves and the ideas are MASSIVE ♡
> 
> It's starting to keep me up, this need to work on this - I seriously love it that much. I just really hope you do too ♡
> 
> The next chapter will be our first interim; VERY excited about that! Let us know what you think so far? ♡
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Queries**

_"You're pulling my leg, bro. How is it that you have that much game when you couldn't even get Rory to ask you out before?"_

I sighed, reconsidering once more if it had really been that wise of me to accept Jordan's ambush call. But, he had finally found spare time to call me himself… and I may or may not have still been dazzled by my conversation with Jake. It was sweet of him, I guess. And it had been fine till I accidentally ranted about being asked to a dance I didn't want to go to by people I wouldn't want to go with.

"We agreed to never talk about Rory. It was a puppy crush." I groused, "And as much as I would love to debate that I do, in fact, have game, I need to get to class."

I can hear him snort, "_Rence, you're the smartest guy I know. You could afford skipping a class or two to catch up with your dear, beloved brother._"

"While I accept that compliment, despite being horribly stained with bad influence..." I drawled lazily, glad he can’t see my pout. He knows I hate it when he calls me that. "I'm not you, _Daniel_."

A scoff now. "_Jeez, and I'm thankful for that. Who would wanna be like my boring, bookworm, Scout crazy—_"

"I memorize your diary. I can call Michael, right now."

"..._talented, smartest, freakishly hot twin brother?_" Jordan amended, "_Okay, releasing you to go into the torture chamber. Jim's calling me, break's over. Make bad choices, Taylor._"

I rolled my eyes, "and you better make wise ones, Jordan."

I let the call drop.

I dawdled all the way to Technology, still in a daze. With Jake actually bothering to _ talk _ to me, let alone ask me on a; dare I say it, _ date… _ then my brother calling me? Hell, I didn’t stand a chance of thinking coherently. I didn't even realize when I first walked in that class had already started.

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence at last, Mister Lee," Mr. Ventus said in a disparaging tone. I flushed and hurried to my seat, cursing Jordan for keeping me before shoving all thought of him into the back of my mind; in the small area that wasn’t constantly thinking of the bedazzling Jake McKenzie.  
  
It wasn't till class ended that I realized Brian wasn't sitting in his usual seat next to me. I felt a twinge of relief; maybe this Zoe thing would keep him off of my back for awhile. But he still met me at the door as usual after class, so I guessed with some dejection that he hadn't totally given up on me after all. Unfortunately, Brian seemed to become more himself as we walked, gaining enthusiasm as he talked smugly about the good weather report for this weekend. The rain was supposed to take a minor break, so maybe his beach trip would finally be possible and he would be able to show off those tan lines. I tried to not to vomit at the thought, nodding along in what I hoped were the right places in Brian's brag like monologue. It was hard; rain or shine, I still wasn't really to keen to go, if I was honest.  
  
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. It was difficult to believe that I hadn't just imagined what Jake had said; and the way his eyes had looked. Maybe it was just a very convincing dream that I'd confused with reality. That seemed more probable than that I really appealed to him on any level.

So I was impatient and finicky as Zoe and I entered the cafeteria. I hated that I wanted to see his face, to see if he'd gone back to the cold, indifferent person I'd known for the last several days. Or if, by some miracle, I'd really heard what I thought I'd heard this morning. Zoe babbled on and on about her dance plans; Morgan had decided she wasn't going to ask anyone, while Kara had asked a few other boys before finally settling on Caleb. Seemed like Max was still out for the count. They were all going to go together as a group apparently. That was the last thing I really heard anyway, before drifting off into my own thoughts. The good thing about girls, they don't really need much input from a guy they aren't interested in. They were completely unaware of my inattention. Though, I was shaken out from my thoughts of Jake momentarily as I gushed with Myra when she reported that Cameron actually worked the nerve to ask Aiden; and nobody had to be locked in a closet for it either. Win, win. 

Of course, Cameron had been embarrassed when they noticed what we were gushing about. But since they were cool, they took it in stride.  
  
Disappointment flooded through me as my eyes unerringly focused on the Darwin-McKenzie table. The other four were there, but he was conspicuously absent. Had he gone home? I followed the still-babbling Myra who, this time, was squeezing information out of Cameron regarding how they'd asked Aiden; and the details of his reaction. I try not to snicker, since I knew Myra had eavesdropped without their knowing. This kept me briefly distracted, but I still wanted to go sit down and sulk.

"Jake McKenzie is staring at you again," Zoe said, finally breaking through my abstraction with his name. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today."  
  
My head snapped up. I followed her gaze to see Jake, smirking smugly as he stared at me, sitting at an empty table across the cafeteria from where he usually sat with his family. Once he'd caught my eye, he raised one hand and crooked his index finger at me, clearly motioning for me to join him. As I stared in disbelief, he winked.  
  
"Does he mean _you?"_ Kara demanded derisively, her astonishment more than a little insulting to my sense of self worth, I might add.  
  
"Maybe he needs help with his English Lit homework," I muttered for her benefit. "Um, I'd... better go see what he wants."  
  
I could feel everyone staring after me as I walked away. When I reached his table, I stood behind the chair across from him, unsure.  
  
"Why don't ya sit with me today?" he asked, still smirking, like he knew I would never dream of refusing.  
  
I sat down automatically, watching him with caution. He smirk softened to a simple grin. It suited him. It was hard to believe that someone so gorgeous could be real. I was afraid that he might disappear in a sudden puff of smoke; and I would wake up, cursed to remember this perfect dream forever more and never actually see him again.  
  
He seemed to be waiting for me to say something.  
  
"This is uh, different," I finally managed.  
  
"Well..." He paused; and then the rest of the words followed in a rush, as if he were actually still in disbelief of them. "Figured if I'm goin' to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly. Maybe enjoy the scenery." He snickered as if he'd said something utterly hilarious, unaware of the effect the sound had on me; further jumbling my thoughts.

I waited for him to say something that made sense, or an explanation how he could be so eloquent despite his shitty grammar skills. The seconds ticked by. At least I was able to clear my head a little, once he'd stopped his snickering.

"You know I don't have any idea what you mean." I eventually pointed out. A statement, not a question.  
  
"Yep." He smirked again; and then he changed the subject. "I think ya friends're angry with me for stealin' ya away from 'em."  
  
"I really couldn't care less right now." I said without thinking, lowering my eyes to the table when his cerulean orbs seemed to glow with amusement. I felt my cheeks burn. "They'll survive one day." I muttered under my breath. I could feel each of their individual stares boring into my back.  
  
"Yeah? But, I might not be willin' to give ya back, though," he said with a wicked glint in his eyes.  
  
I gulped, ever pleased that the man couldn't hear the way his sultry drawl often made my heart jump or my pulse race so wildly. I don't get what it is about the man that sends these little thrills down my spine, but I was going to damn well enjoy them while he was here.  
  
He laughed. "You look worried."  
  
"Hardly," I scoffed, but; ridiculously, my voice broke. "Surprised.. ahem, mostly." I coughed lightly to stop myself from adding that I was utterly enthralled by the thought; and hoped that he meant it literally. Jake McKenzie or creepy Brian? Yeah, no comparison. "Ahem... what brought all this on?"  
  
"Told ya already." Jake said, his head cocking curiously despite shrugging indifferently. "Got tired of tryin' to stay away from ya. So I'm givin' up. Admittin' defeat." He was still smiling, but his clear eyes were serious.  
  
"Giving up?" I repeated in confusion.  
  
"Yeah. I'm givin' up on tryin' t'be good. I'm just gonna do what the hell I want now." He sighed, running a hand through his hair as my thoughts turned decidedly perverse, biting my lip as I shifted my weight in my seat and tried to ignore the hot flush beneath my skin. "Let the chips fall where they're gonna." His smile faded as he explained, a hard edge creeping into his voice.  
  
The hot flush faded at his return to serious Jake. "You lost me again." I reluctantly admit.  
  
The breathtaking crooked smile reappeared. I hoped he settled into one specific persona soon; I was getting whiplash from all this rapid change, hot and cold, arousing crap. I mean, confusing. Definitely confusing. Not arousing at all. Oh god... Jordan infected me with his sappy bullshit this morning. It's the only explanation for my body's ridiculous reactions to this infuriatingly confusing man.  
  
"I always say too much when I'm talkin' to ya; that's one of my main problems, ya know."  
  
"Don't worry. It's not as if I understand any of it," I said wryly.  
  
"I'm kinda countin' on that."  
  
"So, in plain English, are we... what, friends now?"  
  
"Friends..." he mused, dubious.  
  
"Or not," I muttered.  
  
He grinned. "Well, we can try, I s'pose. But I'm warnin' ya now that I ain't a good friend for ya." Behind his smile, the warning was real.  
  
"You say that a lot," I noted, trying to ignore the sudden trembling in my stomach and keep my voice even.

"Yeah, 'cause ya ain't listenin' to me." Jake snorted, tapping his fingers idly on the edge of the table. "I'm still waitin' for ya to believe it. If ya smart, ya'll avoid me."  
  
"I think you've made your opinion on the subject of my intellect clear, too." My eyes narrowed.  
  
He grinned lopsidedly, but there was no hint of an apology in the gesture.  
  
"So, as long as I'm being... not smart, we'll try to be friends? Maybe hang out sometimes?" I struggled to sum up the confusing exchange, ignoring my embarrassed, hopeful flush.  
  
"Sounds 'bout right."  
  
I looked down at my hands wrapped around the lemonade bottle, not sure what to do now.  
  
"What're ya thinkin'?" he asked curiously.  
  
I looked up into his sharp cerulean eyes, became befuddled; and, as usual, blurted out the truth. "I'm trying to figure out what you are."  
  
His jaw tightened, but he kept his smile in place with some effort. "Ya havin' any luck with that?" he asked in an offhand tone.  
  
"... maybe." I said coyly, peeking up at him from beneath my lashes. I try not to balk, because holy shit; I just flirted. Like, actually, intentionally teased him. I'm pretty sure anyone else would have pissed their pants and blurted out everything if they were facing down Jake or any of the Darwin-McKenzie troupe... I feel so weirdly empowered. Is this why Jordan's such a cocky git? Does my brother feel this way all the time? Damn, I've been missing out.

Jake blinked at me in obvious surprise, drawing in a sharp breath as he ran a hand over his stubble. Was it my imagination, or were his piercing blue eyes actually running over me with some new found respect? "So?" I shook my head free of my awe as he chuckled. "What're ya theories?"

I blushed. I had been vacillating during the last week between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. There was no way in hell I was going to own up to that though.

"Ya ain't gonna tell me?" he asked, tilting his head to one side with a shockingly tempting grin.

I shook my head. "Too embarrassing." I muttered, considerably thrown by the endearing quality of his rugged grin.

"That's really frustratin', ya know," he complained.

"No," I drawled sourly, my eyes narrowing, "I can't imagine why that would be frustrating at all! Just because someone refuses to tell you what they're thinking, even if all the while they're making cryptic little remarks specifically designed to keep you up all night wondering what they could possibly mean... now, why would that be frustrating?"

He grinned and had the goddamn audacity to wink at me, but he had the good grace to blush faintly as well.

"Or, better yet," I continued, all my pent-up irritation at him flowing freely now, "say that person also did a wide range of bizarre things; from saving your life under impossible circumstances one day, to treating you like a goddamn pariah the next… imagine then, that they never explained any of _ that _ either, even after they'd promised. That, also, would be very non-frustrating."

Jake was silent for a pause; and I was just beginning to feel a little proud of my rant, when he snickered with amusement. "Bit of a spitfire, ain't ya?"

"I don't like double standards." I snarked, determinedly holding his gaze despite wanting to lower my eyes. "I don't like lying either. But I have been. For _ your _ sake."

We stared at each other, unsmiling.

He glanced over my shoulder; and then, unexpectedly, he snickered.

"What?"

"Ya lil boyfriend seems to think I'm bein' unpleasant to ya. He's debatin' whether or not to come break up our fight." He snickered again, leaning forward on his elbows with a grin.

"I don't know who you're talking about," I said frostily; desperately willing whoever it was in my unwanted fanclub to stay in their damn seat. "But I'm sure you're wrong, anyway."

"I ain't. I told ya, people're easy to read."

"Except me, of course."

"Hrn." He grunted, pursing his lips. "Except _ you _." His mood shifted suddenly; his eyes turned brooding. "Wonder why it is ya so damn hard."

I had to look away from the intensity of his stare, and not get my mind into the gutter for that comment. I concentrated on unscrewing the lid of my lemonade. I took a swig, staring at the table without seeing it.

"Ya ain't hungry?" he asked, distracted.

"No." I didn't feel like mentioning that my stomach was already full; of butterflies. Because of him. "You?" I looked at the empty table in front of him.

"Nah, I ain't… hungry." I didn't understand his expression; it looked like he was enjoying some private joke.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked after a second of hesitation.

He was suddenly wary. "Depends what ya want."

"It's not much," I assured him.

He waited, guarded but curious.

"I just wondered... if you could, maybe just warn me beforehand; the next time you decide to ignore me for my own good. Just… you know, so I'm prepared." I looked at the lemonade bottle as I spoke, tracing the circle of the opening with my index fingernail, firmly denying the hot blaze I felt in my cheeks.

"Huh… guess that sounds fair." He was pressing his lips together to keep from laughing when I looked up.

"Thanks."

"Can I get an answer in return?" he demanded.

I narrowed my eyes playfully, before allowing a small smile. "One."

"Ya favourite theory."

Whoops. I felt my face fall rapidly into a grimace. "Not that one."

"Hey, ya didn't qualify, Boy Scout." He reminded me smugly, his damnable, rugged smirk returning. "Ya just promised an answer."

"And you've broken promises yourself," I reminded him back.

"One theory. I ain't gonna laugh."

"Yes, you will." I was positive about that.

He looked down; and then glanced up at me through his long black lashes, his cerulean eyes scorching. "Please?" he breathed, leaning toward me.

I blinked, my mind going blank. Holy shit… how the hell did he do that?

"Er, what?" I asked, dazed.

"Tell me..._one _ of ya theories." His eyes still smoldered at me.

"I—" I blinked, fighting the disorienting power of his clear eyes. Was he a hypnotist, too? Or was I just a hopeless pushover? "Uh," I sucked in a trembling breath, clearing my throat before licking my lips and leaning back in my chair, grinning as abruptly Jake continued to switch between expressions. I refused to be some powerless, simpleminded pushover for the likes of Jake McKenzie. "When you've earned it." I said coyly, the butterflies in my stomach dancing gleefully at my boldness.

"What?" Jake said blankly, blinking as if I'd dazed him myself, his brow slowly furrowing as I tried to ignore the frantic beat of my heart. Something told me I was walking a dangerous line. I loved it

"When you've earned it." I repeat slowly, my confidence growing as Jake's eyebrows rose on his forehead, his clear bafflement causing my heart to flutter like a hummingbird.

"Well, I—" Jake frowned, scratching the scruff on his chin distractedly as he eyed me with sudden, keen interest. "How exactly am I s'posed to do that?" He asked uncertainly, sitting tensely in his seat as if he couldn't fathom what I might say next.

I took a moment to try and reign in the strange and overwhelming giddiness I felt, feigning a thoughtful expression as I hummed and looked up at the ceiling to escape Jake's penetrating gaze. "I guess..." I mused, running my tongue over my lower lip as I slowly lowered my eyes back to Jake's gaze; my breath catching involuntarily as I watched the other man's piercing cerulean eyes trail the motion; as if struck dumb by my gall. "To really earn it, you'd... have to promise not to shut me out again at all." I said innocently, narrowing my eyes when Jake snorted and grimaced, turning his face away from me irritably. "_And_ you'd have to keep that promise." I added. 

Jake sighed irritably, his eyes boring holes in the opposite wall of the cafeteria. I waited as patiently as I was able, my heart in my throat as I wondered if I had pushed to far; if the secretive man would just get up and walk away from me now, deeming me too much work to make such an outlandish demand. "Fine." He bit out at last, turning back to me as my heart faltered, my breath escaping me in a rush as I stared in disbelief. Did I seriously just win this idiotic, weirdly flirty standoff? "Now, tell me ya damn theory." He demanded petulantly, a fresh thrill down my spine causing me to shiver when he undeniably pouted at me.

"Um... well," I stammered. I hadn't planned for this to go this far. To win a promise from mister elusive himself, that he wouldn't abandon me again. "Uh, injected with a special serum?"   
  
"That ain't creative at all," he scoffed, his pout deepening at the realisation I had pretty much nothing but various comic book heroes to go off. "Sure as hell ain't worth no dumb promise, neither." He groused sourly.  
  
"I'm sorry, that's all I've got," I said, miffed.  
  
"Ya ain't even close," he teased with a playful, mocking tone; his sourness evaporating as quickly as it had come, as all his moods seemed to do. I wondered if I was forgiven my bold treachery after all.  
  
"No serums?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"And no scientific, slash surgical procedures?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Dang," I sighed, though I couldn't fight the amused twist of my lips.  
  
"No shrapnel in me chest to bother me, either," he chuckled.  
  
"You're not supposed to laugh, remember?"  
  
He struggled to compose his face.  
  
"I'll figure it out eventually," I warned him.  
  
He turned serious again. "I wish ya wouldn't try."  
  
"Because... ?"  
  
"What if I ain't some superhero?" He smiled playfully, but his eyes were impenetrable. "What if, I'm the bad guy?"  
  
"Oh," I said, as several things he'd hinted fell suddenly into place. "I see."

"Ya do?" His face was abruptly severe, as if he were afraid that he'd accidentally said too much. I was breathless at the thought that his promise to not abandon me perhaps meant more to him than I had thought, that it might even have been as reassuring for him to know that I wasn't planning to go anywhere, despite his attempts to scare me off.  
  
"You're dangerous?" I guessed, my pulse quickening as I intuitively realized the truth of my own words. He was dangerous. He'd been trying to tell me that all along.  
  
He just looked at me, eyes full of some emotion I couldn't comprehend.  
  
"But not bad," I whispered, shaking my head. "No. I don't believe that you're bad."  
  
"Ya wrong." His voice was almost inaudible. He looked down, stealing my bottle lid and then spinning it on its side between his fingers. I stared at him, wondering why I didn't feel afraid. He meant what he was saying completely; that was obvious. But I just felt anxious, on edge... and, more than anything else, fascinated. The same way I always felt when I was near him. The silence lasted until I noticed that the cafeteria was almost empty.  
  
I jumped to my feet. "We're going to be late."  
  
"I ain't goin' to class today," he said, twirling the lid so fast it was just a blur.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's healthy to ditch now and then." He smiled up at me, but his clear eyes were still troubled.  
  
"Well, I'm going," I told him. I was far too big a coward to risk getting caught.  
  
He turned his attention back to his makeshift top. "See ya round, then."  
  
I hesitated, torn, but then the first bell sent me hurrying out the door; with a last glance confirming that he hadn't moved a centimeter.  
  
As I half-ran to class, my head was spinning faster than the bottle cap. So few questions had been answered in comparison to how many new questions had been raised. At least the rain had stopped.  
  
I was lucky; Mr. Chalmers wasn't in the room yet when I arrived. I settled quickly into my seat, aware that both Brian and Cameron were staring at me. Brian looked resentful; Cameron looked surprised, and slightly awed.  
  
Mr. Chalmers came in the room then, calling the class to order. He was wheeling a television awkwardly. He set it up at the front of the class, telling Brian to start get up and turn off the classroom lights.  
  
"Okay, guys, I want you all to take notes on the changes in the film adaptation from the book," he said as he produced a copy of a book from his desk; and I felt a prickle of unease crawl up my spine at the cover, despite not quite being able to make out the title. "I want to know whether the scene is made more, or less poignant," he went on, grabbing a white card with four squares marked on it and displaying it. "I want to know how the scene makes you react. Are you enraged by injustice? Are you cheering for the victim to escape?" He held up the book slightly higher; and my heart dropped abruptly into my stomach. "— and I wan't to know, if the scenes taken out should have been put on the big screen; likewise, should extra scenes have been in the book?" He turned to the television, pushing buttons until the screen loaded a dark and ominous screen. My stomach flipped.  
  
Music designed purely to chill the soul bellowed into the room from various speakers, the screen slowly flooding with red from within the darkness. Oh no. Clammy moisture broke out across my forehead. I swallowed convulsively, my stomach heaving. I closed my eyes, trying to just listen to the music through the ringing in my ears. It didn't help. I put my cheek against the cool black tabletop and tried to hold on to my consciousness.

All around me I could hear excited squeals, complaints and giggles as my classmates babbled in whispers about the upcoming film. I breathed slowly in and out through my mouth.  
  
"Taylor, are you all right?" Mr. Chalmers asked. His voice was close to my head, and it sounded pretty damn alarmed.  
  
"I uh, I already did this exercise in Sunset Beach, Mr. Chalmers," I said in a weak voice. I was afraid to raise my head.  
  
"Are you feeling faint?"  
  
Duh, what the hell does it look like? "Yes, sir," I managed to mutter instead, internally kicking myself for not ditching when I had the chance.  
  
"Can someone take Taylor to the college infirmary, please?" he called. I didn't have to look up to know that it would be Brian who volunteered the fastest. "Can you walk?" Mr. Chalmers asked.  
  
"Mhm," I hummed, not trusting myself with an open mouth. Just let me get out of here, I thought. I'll crawl. Brian seemed entirely too eager as he put his arm around my waist and pulled my arm over his shoulder. I would have recoiled and given him hell for manhandling me if I were able. I reluctantly leaned against him heavily on the way out of the classroom; desperately hoping he didn't try to show off by carrying me. Brian towed me slowly across campus. When we were around the edge of the cafeteria, out of sight of building four in case Mr. Chalmers was watching, I stopped. "Just let me sit for a minute, please?" I begged.  
  
He helped me sit on the edge of the walk.  
  
"And just... step back a little, please? My stomach's not feeling the strongest just now." I warned. I was still so dizzy. I slumped over on my side, putting my cheek against the freezing, damp cement of the sidewalk and closing my eyes again. It seemed to help a little; more than the cool surface of the desk had.  
  
"Wow, you're turning green, Taylor," Brian snorted derisively.  
  
"Taylor?" a different voice called from the distance.

Oh god, no! I silently begged. Please let me be imagining that horribly familiar voice. Please, anyone but him!  
  
"What the hell's wrong, he hurt?" His voice was closer now; and he sounded distressed. I wasn't imagining it; I was positive of that at least. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to die. Or, at the very least, not to throw up; especially not on him.  
  
Brian seemed confused. "I think he's just fainted. I don't know what happened, he closed his eyes before the film even really got going." He explained, as I wished for the ground to open and swallow me whole. "What a wuss."  
  
"Boy Scout." Jake's voice was right beside me, relieved now. "Can ya hear me?"  
  
"No," I groaned. "Go away."  
  
He chuckled.  
  
"I was taking him to the infirmary," Brian explained in a defensive tone, "but he wouldn't go any farther."  
  
"I'll take 'im," Jake said. I could hear the smile still in his voice. "Ya can skip on back to class."  
  
"No," Brian protested stubbornly. "I'm supposed to do it." I felt like a dog's damn tug toy.  
  
Suddenly the sidewalk disappeared from beneath me. My eyes flew open in shock. Jake had scooped me up in his arms, as easily as if I weighed ten pounds instead of closer to a hundred and fifty.  
  
"Put me down!" I yelped, throwing my arms around his shoulders reflexively. I silently pleaded to whatever deities existed in the world. Please, please let me not vomit on him. He was walking before I was finished my indignant squawk.  
  
"Hey!" Brian called, already ten paces behind us.  
  
Jake ignored him. "Ya look awful," he told me, grinning.  
  
"Put me back on the sidewalk," I moaned, pouting at him miserably. The rocking movement of his walk was not helping. He held me away from his body, gingerly, supporting all my weight with just his forearms; it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.  
  
"So ya faint at the sight o' blood?" He asked. He seemed more entertained by this than he had any real right to be. I didn't answer. I closed my eyes again and fought the nausea with all my strength, clamping my lips together. "And not even real blood," he continued, clearly enjoying himself. I don't know how he opened the door while carrying me, but it was suddenly warm, so I knew we were inside.  
  
"Oh my," I heard a female voice gasp.  
  
"He fainted in English Lit," Jake explained.  
  
I opened my eyes. I was in the office, and Jake was striding past the front counter toward the infirmary door. Ms. Starr, the black haired front office receptionist, ran ahead of him to hold it open. The grandmotherly nurse looked up from a novel, astonished, as Jake swung me into the room and placed me gently on the crackly paper that covered the brown vinyl mattress on the one cot. Then he moved to stand against the wall as far across the narrow room as possible. His cerulean eyes were bright, excited.  
  
"He's just a little faint," he reassured the startled nurse. "They're watchin' Dracula."  
  
The nurse nodded sagely. "There's always one."  
  
He muffled a snicker.  
  
"Just lie down for a minute, honey; it'll pass."  
  
"I know," I sighed. The nausea was already fading.  
  
"Does this happen a lot?" she asked.  
  
"Sometimes," I admitted. Jake coughed to hide another laugh.  
  
"You can go back to class now," she told him.  
  
"I'm s'posed to stay with him." He said this with such assured authority that; even though she pursed her lips, the nurse didn't argue it further.  
  
"I'll go get you some ice for your forehead, dear," she said to me, and then bustled out of the room.  
  
"You were right," I moaned, letting my eyes close.  
  
"Usually am, Boy Scout..." he drawled with an infuriating snort. "But what 'bout this time?"  
  
"Ditching is healthy." I practiced breathing evenly.  
  
"Ya scared me there," he admitted after a pause. His tone made it sound like he was confessing a humiliating weakness. "I thought Crandell was draggin' your dead body off to bury in the woods."  
  
"Ha ha." I still had my eyes closed, but I was feeling more normal every minute.  
  
"Honestly; I seen corpses with better colour. I's concerned I might have to avenge ya murder."  
  
"Poor Brian." I snorted sarcastically, showing I really wouldn't be so opposed to the playful threat. "I'll bet he's mad."  
  
"He loathes me," Jake said smugly.  
  
"You can't know that," I argued, but then I wondered suddenly if he could.  
  
"I can tell."  
  
"How did you see me? I thought you were ditching." I was almost fine now, though the queasiness would probably pass faster if I'd eaten something for lunch. On the other hand, maybe it was lucky my stomach was empty.  
  
"Was in the car, listenin' to a CD." Such a normal response; it surprised me. Somehow I'd been expecting him to be doing something outrageous while he ditched; like rock climbing or something. I sighed wistfully, wishing I'd been doing just that as opposed to bothering to go to class. I heard the door and opened my eyes to see the nurse with a cold compress in her hand.  
  
"Here you go, dear." She laid it across my forehead. "You're looking better," she added.  
  
"I think I'm fine," I said, sitting up. Just a little ringing in my ears, no spinning. The mint green walls stayed where they should. I could see she was about to make me lie back down, but the door opened just then, and Ms. Starr stuck her head in.  
  
"We've got another one," she warned.  
  
I hopped down to free up the cot for the next invalid. I handed the compress back to the nurse. "Here, I don't need this."  
  
And then Brian staggered through the door, now supporting a sallow-looking Wes Porter, another boy in our English Lit class. Jake and I drew back against the wall to give them room.  
  
"AW, hell," Jake muttered. "Go outta here, Boy Scout."  
  
I looked up at him, momentarily bewildered.  
  
"Trust me; go."

I spun and caught the door before it closed, darting out of the infirmary. I could feel Jake right behind me.  
  
"Ya listened to me." He was stunned.  
  
"I smelled the blood," I said, wrinkling my nose. Wes wasn't sick from watching other a dumb film, like me; he'd apparently been hurt. I suspected he'd been carving up his desk again and had slipped.  
  
"People can't smell blood," Jake contradicted.  
  
"Well, I can. That makes me even sicker than just seeing it. It smells like rust... and salt. Metallic but, almost sour."  
  
He was staring at me with an unfathomable expression.  
  
"What?" I asked, feeling a flush creep over my throat and cheeks beneath his scrutiny.  
  
"'S nothin'." Jake murmured distractedly, his brow furrowing as he peered at me intently.  
  
Brian came through the door then, glancing from me to Jake. The look he gave Jake confirmed what he'd said about the loathing thing. He looked back at me, his eyes accusing. "You look better," he sneered.  
  
"Just keep your distance," I warned him again.  
  
"You're not green anymore," he muttered. "Are you coming back to class?"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Really? Brian's said some dumb shit to me before now, but this is right up there at the top of the list. "I'd just have to turn around and come back again."  
  
"Yeah, I guess... So are you going this weekend? To the beach?" While he spoke, he flashed another glare toward Jake, who was standing against the cluttered counter, motionless as a sculpture, staring off into space.  
  
I tried not to sound like I'd rather be pulling my own teeth out. "I said I would."  
  
"We're meeting at my dad's motoring garage, at ten." His eyes flickered to Jake again, as if wondering whether he was giving out too much information in front of the enemy. His body language made it clear that it wasn't an open invitation.  
  
"I'll be there," I reluctantly promised.  
  
"I'll see you later, then," he said, moving uncertainly toward the door.  
  
"Mmm," I replied vaguely. He looked at me once more, his round face darkening slightly; and then as he walked slowly through the door, his shoulders slumped. A swell of relief washed over me, only to be quickly swept away by abject horror. In Gym, he'd said.  
  
"Gym," I groaned.  
  
"I'll take care o' it." I hadn't noticed Jake moving to my side, but he spoke now in my ear. "Go sit down. Try an' look pale," he muttered.  
  
That wasn't challenging. I was always pale; and my recent swoon had left a light sheen of sweat on my face. I sat in one of the creaky folding chairs and rested my head against the wall with my eyes closed. Fainting spells always exhausted me. I heard Jake speaking softly at the counter.  
  
"Ms. Starr?"  
  
"Yes?" I hadn't heard her return to her desk.  
  
"Taylor's got Gym next hour; and I don't think he feels up to it. In fact, I was thinkin' I oughta take him home now. D'ya think ya can excuse him from class?" His voice was like melting honey. I could only imagine how much more overwhelming his startlingly clear eyes would be.  
  
"Do you need to be excused, too, Jake?" Ms. Starr fluttered. Why couldn't I do that?

Although, I flushed as I recalled my brazen behaviour at lunch time. Flirting and pushing at boundaries I hadn't dared to push before. I still felt that electric thrill; but it was sadly hampered by my fainting spell.  
  
"Nah, I got Mrs. Shepherd, she ain't gonna mind."  
  
"Okay, it's all taken care of. You feel better, Taylor," she called to me. I nodded weakly, hamming it up just a bit.  
  
"Can ya walk, or d'ya want me to carry ya again?" With his back to the receptionist, his expression became a sarcastic, smug smirk.  
  
"I'll walk." I sneered haughtily. I stood carefully; and I was still fine. He held the door for me, his smile polite but his eyes mocking. I walked out into the cold, fine mist that had just begun to fall. It felt nice; not the first time I'd enjoyed the constant moisture falling out of the sky, and I was positive it would't be the last either, as it washed my face clean of the sticky perspiration.  
  
"Thanks," I said as he followed me out. "It's almost worth getting sick to miss Gym."  
  
"Anytime." He was staring straight forward, squinting into the rain.  
  
"So are you going? This Saturday, I mean?" I was hoping he would, though it seemed unlikely. I couldn't picture him loading up to carpool with the rest of us students from the college; he didn't belong in the same world as any of us. But just hoping that he might gave me the first twinge of enthusiasm I'd felt for the outing.  
  
"Where're y'all goin', exactly?" He was still looking ahead, expressionless.  
  
"Down to Hartfeld, to Lautner's Beach." I studied his face, trying to read it. His eyes seemed to narrow infinitesimally.  
  
He glanced down at me from the corner of his eye, grinning wryly. "Don't think I got an invite, Boy Scout."  
  
I heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I _just_ invited you."  
  
"How 'bout we don't push poor widdle Crandall any further this week. Wouldn't want him to snap or anythin'." His eyes danced; he was enjoying that idea more than he should.  
  
"Brian-schmian." I muttered, preoccupied by the way he'd said "we." I liked that way more than I should. We were near the parking lot now. I veered left, toward my truck. Something caught my jacket, yanking me back.  
  
"Where the hell d'ya think _you're _goin', exactly?" he asked, outraged. He was gripping a fistful of my jacket in one hand.  
  
I was confused. "I was... um, home?"  
  
"Didn't ya just hear me?" He demanded, his voice still indignant. "Promisin' to see ya safely home? D'ya seriously think I'm gonna let ya drive; in _your_ condition?" His eyes narrowed in outrage.  
  
"What condition? And what about my truck?" I complained.  
  
"I'll have Quinn drop it off at the end'a the day." He was towing me toward his car now, pulling me by my jacket. It was all I could do to keep from falling backward. He'd probably just drag me along anyway if I did.  
  
"Let go!" I insisted. He ignored me. I staggered along sideways across the wet sidewalk until we reached the Audi. Then he finally freed me; I stumbled against the passenger door.  
  
"You are _so_ pushy!" I grumbled petulantly, pouting up at him in frustration.  
  
"'S open," was all he responded. He rounded the car quickly and got in the driver's side.  
  
"I am perfectly capable of driving myself home!" I stood by the car, fuming. It was raining harder now, and I'd never put my hood up, so my hair was sopping wet and flat against my skull. I was too pissed off to mourn my spikes properly.  
  
Jake lowered the automatic window and leaned toward me across the seat. "Get in the damn car, Taylor." I didn't answer. I was mentally calculating my chances of reaching the truck before he could catch me. I personally thought they might be pretty good. "I'll just drag ya back," he threatened, guessing my plan with his irritatingly rugged, lopsided grin.  
  
I tried to maintain what dignity I could as I got into his car. I wasn't very successful; I looked like a half-drowned squirell and my boots squeaked.  
  
"This is completely unnecessary," I said stiffly.  
  
He didn't answer. He fiddled with the controls, turning the heater up and the music down. As he pulled out of the parking lot, I was preparing to give him the silent treatment; my face in full pout mode, but then I recognized the music playing and my curiosity got the better of my intentions.  
  
"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer?" I asked, surprised.  
  
"Ya know John Lee Hooker?" He sounded surprised, too.  
  
"Duh," I scoffed. "My mom played a lot of his music around the house when my brother and I were growing up. He's seriously underrated."  
  
"He's a okay guy." He stared out through the rain, lost in thought.  
  
I listened to the music, relaxing against the light gray leather seat. It was impossible not to respond to the familiar melody. The rain blurred everything outside the window into gray and green smudges. I began to realize we were driving very fast; the car moved so steadily, so evenly, though, I didn't feel the speed. Only the town flashing by gave it away.  
  
"What's ya ma like?" he asked me suddenly. I glanced over to see him studying me with curious eyes.  
  
"She looks a little like me, but she's more like Jordan. Only, prettier than both of us," I said with a small grin. He raised his eyebrows. "I have more Scott in me. Jordan takes after her more than me to be honest. They're both more outgoing than I am; and braver. Mom's kinda irresponsible and fairly eccentric; and she's a very unpredictable cook, which is still better than Jordan. He's lethal. Mom... well, she's mine and Jordan's best friend." I stopped. Talking about Julia and Jordan was making me depressed. I missed them so much.  
  
"How old are ya, Taylor?" His voice sounded frustrated for some reason I couldn't imagine. He'd stopped the car; and I realized we were at Scott's house already. The rain was so heavy that I could barely see the house at all. It was like the car was submerged under a river.  
  
"I'm twenty," I responded, a little confused.  
  
"Ya sure's hell don't seem twenty." His tone was reproachful; it made me laugh. "What?" he asked, curious again.  
  
"My mom always says I was born thirty-five years old and that I get more middle-aged every year." I laughed; and then sighed. "Well, someone had to be the adult; and Jordan sure as hell wasn't willing when we were younger." I paused for a second. "You don't seem much like a freshman in college yourself," I noted.  
  
He made a face and changed the subject. "So why'd ya ma get hitched to Jim?"  
  
"Uh, love?" I scoffed blandly, raising a brow at the stupid question. Why does anyone get married?

I was actually kinda surprised he would remember the name; I'd mentioned it just once, almost two weeks ago. I felt weirdly touched by the effort, so I thought a moment to answer properly. "My mom... she's very young for her age. I think Jim makes her feel even younger. At any rate, she's crazy about him; and he's done so much for Jordan." I shook my head. The attraction was still a mystery to me personally, regardless of being able to explain it.  
  
"D'ya approve?" he asked.  
  
"What the hell does that matter?" I countered. "I want her to be happy... and he is who she wants."  
  
"That's uh... generous. I wonder," he mused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Think she'd extend the same courtesy to _you,_ d'ya think? No matter... who ya choice was?" He was suddenly intent, his eyes searching mine.  
  
"I-I think so," I stuttered, my throat suddenly very dry. "But she's the parent, after all. It's a little bit different."  
  
"No one... too scary then," he teased.  
  
I grinned in response. "What do you mean by scary? Multiple facial piercings and extensive tattoos?."  
  
"'S one definition, I s'pose."  
  
"What's your definition?"  
  
But he ignored my question and asked me another. "D'ya think I could be scary?" He raised one eyebrow; and the faint trace of a smile lightened his face.  
  
I thought for a moment, wondering whether the truth or a lie would go over better. I decided to go with the truth. "Hmmm... I think you could be, if you really wanted to."  
  
"Are ya frightened of me now?" The smile vanished; and his heavenly face was suddenly serious.  
  
"No." I said simply. He must have felt I answered too quickly to be serious, however, because the smile returned. More fool him, I guess.  
  
"So, are you going to tell me about _your_ family now?" I asked to distract him. "It's got to be a much more interesting story than mine."  
  
He was instantly cautious. "What d'ya wanna know?"  
  
"You and Dr. Darwin are brothers?" I verified.  
  
"Yeah."

"And... Quinn is your sister?"

"Yeah."

"And the others are... nieces? Nephews?" I pressed, my curiosity blazing despite Jake's guarded answers. "Long lost... unknown relatives?"

Jake's lips flickered with a smile at that. "Yeah."  
  
"What happened to their..." I hesitated for a moment, biting my lip guiltily. "What happened to _your_ parents?"  
  
"They died." His tone was matter-of-fact.  
  
"I'm sorry," I mumbled.  
  
"Don't really remember 'em that clear anymore, bein' honest. I weren't around much. Me an' Mike... well, our lil ragtag gang o' misfits; we've been each others family for awhile now."  
  
"And you love them." It wasn't a question. It was obvious in the way he spoke of them.  
  
"Yeah." He smiled. "They're all a pain in the ass more often than not, but I couldn't imagine better folk to call kin."  
  
"You're very lucky."  
  
"I know." He smirked, waving his brows in such a suggestive manner that I couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"What are they like?"  
  
He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "They're all gonna be pissed if they have to stand in the rain waitin' for me."  
  
"Oh, sorry, I guess you have to go." Now that he'd got me in, I didn't want to get out of the car.  
  
"And _you_ probably want ya truck back before Chief Lee gets home, so ya don't have to tell him 'bout ya lil English Lit incident." He grinned at me.  
  
"I'm sure he's already heard. There are no secrets in Cedar Cove." I sighed.  
  
He barked a rough laugh; and there was an edge to the sound. "Have fun at the beach... good weather for sunbathin'." He snickered, as he glanced out at the sheeting rain.  
  
"Won't I see you tomorrow?" I was immensely pleased he couldn't hear my heart; because it was fluttering with panic.  
  
"Nah. Craig and I are startin' the weekend early."  
  
"Oh... what are you going to do?" A friend could ask that, right? I hoped the disappointment wasn't too apparent in my voice.  
  
"We're gonna be hikin' in the Pine Springs Wilderness, just south of Westchester."  
  
I remembered Scott had said the Darwin's went camping frequently. "Oh, well, have fun." I tried to sound enthusiastic. I don't think I fooled him, though. A smile was playing around the edges of his lips.  
  
"Hey, do somethin' for me this weekend?" He turned to look me straight in the face, utilizing the full power of his burning cerulean eyes.  
  
I nodded helplessly.  
  
"Don't be offended or nothin', but ya kinda seem to be one of those folk, ya know; the kind who attract trouble like a magnet." He said, his eyes flickering with amusement as I narrowed my eyes at him. "So, just... try not to fall into the ocean or get run over or anythin', all right?" He grinned crookedly.  
  
The helplessness had faded as he spoke. I glared at him. "I'll see what I can do," I snapped as I jumped out into the rain. I slammed the door behind me with excessive force.  
  
He was still grinning as he drove away.


	6. Consideration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so about the interims we decided to post it as a separate fic later.
> 
> So there may be other companion oneshots while we keep the one update a day trend.
> 
> Hope you guys have a look on those too and enjoy!
> 
> Comments are much appreciated, let us know how you think the story could be better!
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Consideration**

As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the fifth chapter of The Count of Monte Cristo, but I was really just listening for my truck. I would have thought, even over the pounding rain, I could have heard the engine's beautiful roar. But when I went to peek out the curtain; again, it was suddenly there.

I wasn't looking forward to Friday; and it more than lived up to my non-expectations. Of course there were the fainting comments. Zoe especially seemed to get a kick out of that story. Luckily Brian had kept his mouth shut; and no one seemed to know about Jake's involvement.

She did have a lot of questions about lunch, though. "So what did Jake McKenzie want yesterday?" Zoe asked in Science.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "He never really got to the point."

"You looked kind of mad," she fished.

"Did I?" I kept my expression blank.

"You know, I've never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird."

"Weird," I agreed.

She seemed annoyed; she flipped her dark hair impatiently; I guessed she'd been hoping to hear something that would make a good story for her to pass on.

The worst part about Friday was that, even though I knew he wasn't going to be there, I still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Myra and Cameron, I couldn't keep from looking at his table, where Quinn, Zahra, and Kele sat talking, heads close together. And I couldn't stop the gloom that engulfed me as I realized I didn't know how long I would have to wait before I saw him again. How pathetic.

At my usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the next day. Brian was animated again, putting a great deal of trust in the local weatherman who promised sun tomorrow. I'd have to see that before I believed it; but it was warmer today, almost sixty. Maybe the outing wouldn't be completely miserable. I told myself I believed that, despite knowing I would spend a great deal of it sulking.

I intercepted a few unfriendly glances from Kara during lunch, which I didn't understand until we were all walking out of the room together. I was right behind her, just a foot from her pony tailed, jet black hair, and she was evidently unaware of that.

"...don't know why Taylor," she sneered my name, "doesn't just sit with the Darwin's from now on." I heard her muttering to Brian. I'd never noticed what an unpleasant, nasal voice she had, and I was surprised by the malice in it. I really didn't know her well at all, certainly not well enough for her to dislike me; or so I'd thought.

"He's my man; he sits with us," Brian whispered back in faux loyalty; and a lot more territoriality than I was comfortable with.

I internally blanched. I was most definitely not Brian's man.

Kara snorted, almost amused. "The fuck, you're going to the Spring dance with Zoe."

"What," Brian huffed derisively, "a man can't have one of each?"

You can't have two, asshole. That's what. I thought irately.

She scoffs this time, "You're delusional."

I paused to let Myra and Cameron pass me. I didn't want to hear any more, lest I get sent to the Dean's office for attacking Brian for his cocky bullshit. I'm the son of the Chief of Police, I've got not one but two reputations to keep clean.

That night at dinner, Scott seemed enthusiastic about my trip to Hartfeld in the morning. I think he felt guilty for only keeping me company half the time during weekends, but he couldn't just not show up to work daily. Crime never sleeps; and all that stuff. Though, Cedar Cove was a fairly peaceful place.

Maybe that was kudos to dad. I hoped he knew I was proud of him.

Of course Scott knew the names of everyone going, not to mention their parents; and their great-grandparents, too, probably. He seemed to mostly approve. I wondered if he would approve of my plan to ride to Seattle with Jake McKenzie. Not that I had any intention of telling him that part. That was a secret solely for my dreams; and my future. My stomach fluttered weakly.

"Dad, do you know a place called... Pine Springs Wilderness or something like that? I think it's south of Westchester," I asked casually.

"Yeah; why?"

I shrugged. "Some kids were talking about camping there."

"It's not a very good place for camping." Scott sounded surprised, and maybe slightly alarmed. "Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season."

"Oh," I murmured. "Maybe I got the name wrong." 

Why would he have lied to me? Or what if he was't; what if he really had gone there? What the hell could he be doing in a place that was known for being bear central? Another mystery in my Jake McKenzie, mental storage deposit.

I meant to sleep in the Saturday morning, maybe 'accidentally' be too late for the beach trip; but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a clear yellow light streaming through my window. I couldn't believe it. I walked to the window to check; and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low; and it didn't seem to be as close as it should be, but it was definitely the sun.

Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle, reminding me all too clearly of the frustrating, bane of my existence. I lingered by the window for a short time, smiling softly at the various different greens I could see all around. The world seemed brighter.

The Crandalls' Used Car lot was just north of town. I'd seen the garage, but I'd never stopped there; not having much need for any real need after Scott had already bought me my perfect truck. Thank god, cause I didn't need more chances to see Brian especially outside college. I needed a respite from putting up with him enough. 

In the parking lot I recognized Brian's Vauxhall and Caleb's new Volvo rental. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the group standing around in front of the Vauxhall. Myra was there, along with two other guys I had class with; I was fairly sure their names were Aiden and Max. Zoe was there, flanked by Cameron and Kara. Three other girls stood with them, including Morgan; who I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday. She gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Kara. Kara shook out her jet black hair and eyed me scornfully.

So it was going to be one of those days.

Brian was happy to see me. The feeling wasn't particularly mutual.

"I knew you'd come." He bragged, delighted. "Told you it would be sunny today, didn't I? Did I deliver, or what?"

"I told you I was coming," I reminded him, otherwise ignoring his smug prattle. How could a person deliver specific weather? More to the point, how could he think I would believe that he did?

"We're just waiting for Wes and Autumn... unless you invited someone," Brian added.

"Nope," I lied smoothly. I'm getting better at this deception thing, I thought briefly, though I couldn't tell if I was pleased or annoyed by that. I may also have been wishing that a miracle would occur; and Jake would appear after all.

Brian looked smug.

"You gonna ride in my car? It's that or Max's mom's minivan."

"I'll take the minivan."

He frowned. I didn't care.

"You can have shotgun," he promised, trying to get me to reconsider.

I hid my chagrin. It wasn't as in Brian's nature to accept other peoples choices it seemed. 'No means no,' appeared to be a foreign concept to him. Nevertheless, Zoe seemed happy with my easy rebuff, so I pretended I couldn't see Brian glowering at me as I instead caught sight of Myra; who had invited Aiden, giving me a perfect opening.

"Thanks, but pass. Myra said she wanted to ask me something about The Count of Monte Cristo."

Myra looked up at her name, "I did?" She asked before I threw her a look, subtly cocking my head towards Brian. "Oh! Yeah, I did! By the way, have you met Aiden?"

The numbers worked out in my favor, though. Wes brought two extra people; and suddenly every seat was necessary. Brian still tried to claim a spot for me next to him, but I managed to wedge Zoe between him and Kara instead at the front seat of the Vauxhall. Brian could have been less of a dick about it, but Zoe seemed pleased by the development.

Myra and I were perfectly satisfied being in Max's mom's minivan too; having Aiden and Cameron between us. I found it endearing that the Asian was almost as awkward as Cameron was, if not more.

It was only fifteen miles to Hartfeld from Cedar Cove, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Redfield River snaking beneath it twice. I was glad I had the window seat. We'd rolled the windows down, but the minivan was still a bit claustrophobic with so many people in it; and I tried to absorb as much sunlight as possible. It reminded me of Julia and Jordan; and I made a mental note to use the landline and give them a call later in the evening.

I'd been to the beaches around Hartfeld many times during my Cedar Cove summers with Scott, so the mile long crescent of Lautner's Beach was familiar to me. It was still breathtaking. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight; white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits; and crowned with austere, soaring firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. It was beautiful. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves. Some were piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some were lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.

There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky. I took a deep breath of salty air; and smiled fondly.

We picked our way down to the beach, Brian leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes. Myra and Aiden gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge; and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Brian asked me. I was sitting on one of the bone-colored benches; the girls clustered, gossiping excitedly, on either side of me. It wasn't pleasant. Brian knelt by the fire, lighting one of the smaller sticks with a cigarette lighter.

"No," I drawled sarcastically, rolling my eyes out of his sight, as he placed the blazing twig carefully against the teepee.

"You'll like this then, babe; watch the colors." He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood. I couldn't tell if I wanted to hit him more because he took my sarcasm seriously, or because he had the audacity to call me 'babe.' I cringe at the idea that Brian might think I was into him and would let him get away with that. My skin's crawling at the horrid thought alone.

"It's blue," I said in feigned surprise. Scott had shown me this when I was nine; it was still pretty though, even if Brian was an idiot about it.

"The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?" He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadn't yet caught; and then came to sit by me. Thankfully, Zoe was on his other side. She turned to him and thankfully claimed his attention. I watched the beautiful blue and green flames crackle toward the sky.

After a half hour of chatter, some of the guys wanted to hike to the nearby tidal pools. It was a dilemma. On the one hand, I loved the tide pools. They had fascinated Jordan and I since we were kids; and they were one of the only things Jordan had ever looked forward to when we had to come to Cedar Cove. On the other hand, I'd also fallen into them a lot. Not a big deal when you're seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Jake's request; that I not fall into the ocean. I felt my lips twitch at that.

Kara was the one who made my decision for me. She didn't want to hike; and she was definitely wearing the wrong shoes for it. Most of the other girls besides Cameron and Myra decided to stay on the beach as well. I waited until Caleb and Wes had committed to remaining with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. Brian gave me a huge smile when he saw that I was coming. I grimaced and made sure I kept Aiden, Myra and Cameron between us.

The hike wasn't too long; and I was disappointed to have to say goodbye to all the colours and sounds in the woods so quickly. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the raucous laughter, too peaceful and gentle to be in harmony with the loud banter around me. I had to watch each step I took very carefully, avoiding roots below and branches above; and I soon fell behind. This is why I like hiking alone; no expectations. I'm free to look around and just enjoy the environment.

Eventually I broke through the emerald confines of the forest and found the rocky shore again. It was low tide; and a tidal river flowed past us on its way to the sea. Along its pebbled banks, shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life.

I was very cautious not to lean too far over the little ocean ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges. I found a very stable looking rock on the fringe of one of the largest pools and sat there for awhile, spellbound by the natural aquarium below me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them. Starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed, except for one small part of my mind that wondered what Jake was doing now; and trying to imagine what he would be saying if he were here with me.

Finally the others were hungry; and I got up stiffly to follow them back. I tried to keep up better this time through the woods, so naturally I fell a few times. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms; and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been worse.

When we got back to Lautner's Beach, the group we'd left behind had multiplied. As we got closer we could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, mostly teenagers from the reservation come to socialize.

The food was already being passed around; and the guys hurried to claim a share while Aiden introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. Cameron and I were the last to arrive; and, as Aiden said our names, I noticed a guy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up at me in interest. I paused, my eyes flicking over him curiously. It was certainly a face I knew, but considering I hadn't been in Cedar Cove in ten years; it was a face I was unable to put a name to. I sat down next to Cameron as Brian brought us sandwiches with an array of sodas to choose from, while a guy with coal dark skin; who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with him. All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Zoe; and the guy who noticed me was named Diego.

It was relaxing to sit with Cameron; they were a restful kind of person to be around, they didn't feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. They left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. I thought briefly about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Cedar Cove, passing in a blur at times, with single images standing out more clearly than others. Yet, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference; and I knew it brought a blush to my cheeks.

I pushed aside those thoughts, forcing Jake's ever lingering presence from my mind as I instead began to mull over the mystery of Diego. I knew him, I knew I did... I just; couldn't quite remember how or why, or where from. I blamed Jake McKenzie entirely for my inability to think through my own damn past properly.

During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, casting long shadows across the beach; and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the choppy surface. Others were gathering a second expedition to the tide pools. Brian; with Zoe shadowing him, headed up to the one shop in the village. Some of the locals went with them; others went along on the hike. By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting alone on my driftwood log, with Kara and Caleb occupying themselves by the CD player someone had thought to bring, and three guys from the reservation perched around the circle, including the one named Diego who I knew but couldn't quite remember; and the oldest, who had acted as spokesperson.

A few minutes after Cameron left with the hikers, Diego sauntered over to take their place by my side. He looked around my age; and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face. However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth.

"You're, uh, Taylorence Lee, aren't you?"

It was like the first day of college all over again.

"Taylor," I sighed.

"I'm Diego Ricardo Ortiz So... Uh, heh, guess you don't really need to know my full name." He rubbed the back of his neck in chagrin. "You might not really remember me, but, uh, your dad bought my dad's truck and we sort of used to..."

_"That's how I know you_!" I gasped and tentatively wrapped an arm around his shoulder, shaking my head in disbelief that I had forgotten my one time best friend. "Oh my god! It's been bothering me for ages, trying to work out how the hell I knew you... I feel so bad now that I never thought to visit sooner!"

Diego's face relaxed with relief, before it morphed into a playful grin, returning my embrace warmly. "No worries, it's been a while after all. Buuuut... I'm not opposed to accepting apology payments in Oreos and Microwaveable popcorn." He quipped, "Best way to stream movies, you know."

I laugh in response. "I'll make a note of it. God, it seems like forever ago that Scott and Ricardo senior used to have those barbecues… well, I guess it was forever…" I mused, thinking back to Jordan's final showdown about how he was never coming back to Cedar Cove again.

"How is Jordan? And your mom?" Diego asked, falling into an easy air of familiarity as we talked like we had seen each other yesterday, instead of ten long years ago.

"He's an ass. He stole my bedroom not even three hours after I was on the plane here." I scoffed, but I know the grin on my face with bely my harsh words. Diego grinned too, so I assumed he knew I was still close with my brother. "Mom's doing okay, she got remarried a while ago." I added, looking over as I toyed with a small piece of the bone white wood.

"Wow…" Diego blinked, as surprised as Jordan and I had been at the time. "I thought she swore off the dreaded 'M' word." He said, grinning when I snorted and laughed quietly.

"Apparently just marriage to Scott." I said, shaking my head slowly. It was kind of sad, if so I had to laugh really, else I would cry. "Her and Jim are really happy; plus they still have Jordan with them so, ya know... one big happy family." I said flippantly, sporting an easy grin as I looked over at Diego.

"Wow..." Diego repeated, nodding in quiet understanding. I had missed this; even though I hadn't recalled _what_ I was missing at first. But the easy kinship we'd always had slotted back into place between us seamlessly, as if there were't a ten year gap. Diego was more like me, didn't need to fill every silence with chatter, didn't need to be doing some kind of sport or shopping.

I love Jordan and Julia; but they can be exhausting when all you want to do is curl up and lose yourself in a book for awhile.

"How about your sisters?" I asked, recalling Diego's siblings with sudden clarity. Jordan had been Selma's boyfriend for a very brief period, or so she claimed. They were five at the time, but that didn't stop me from making a mental note now that I'd remembered. He could get out of my room when the time came; or Michael got all the dirt. "Selma and Sonja, right?"

I'd been too shy to really make much progress as friends. Of course, Jordan eventually kicked up a huge tantrum about Scott's fishing with Ricardo senior by the time we were eight; and I think he was scared of a repeat to even take us down to see the family. After that we only came two more summers; and the family came to see us much less frequently. They didn't tend to leave Hartfeld much.

"Are they here?" I examined the girls at the ocean's edge, wondering if I would recognize them now.

"No." Diego snickered and shook his head. "Selma got a scholarship to Washington State; and Sonja married a Samoan surfer... she lives in Hawaii now."

"Married. Wow." I was stunned. The pair were only a little over a year older than I was.

"What, caught your mom's anti-marriage syndrome?" Diego asked, noticing my grimace of distaste. He also noticed my discomfort, clearing my throat as I looked away, so he changed the subject. This is another reason we get on so well. We know when to push; and when to let something go. "So how do you like the truck?" he asked.

"I love it!" Diego snorted at my immediate enthusiasm, my grin as wide as my face as I turned back to him. "It runs great; and oh my god! That engine..."

"Yeah, but it's really slow," he laughed. "I was so relieved when Scott bought it. My dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there."

"It's not that slow," I objected, jabbing Diego's arm playfully as I pouted in semi-feigned outrage.

"Have you tried to go over sixty?"

"No," I admitted.

"Good. Don't." He grinned.

I couldn't help grinning back. "It does great in a collision," I offered in my truck's defense.

"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster," he agreed with another laugh.

"So you build cars?" I asked, impressed. The most I could do was point and say 'please fix'.

"When I have free time... and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a gearbox for a 1967 Chevrolet Impala?" he added jokingly. He had a pleasant, husky voice. The kind where laugher was always bubbling, just beneath the surface.

"Sorry," I laughed, "I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes open for you." As if I knew what that was. I made a note in my increasingly crowded memory banks, to look one up online when I got home. Diego was just as easy to talk with as he'd always been. I'd really had missed him.

He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way that was totally different from what I was learning to recognize from my college admirers. It was nothing more than friendly respect, or pride. Kinship. I wasn't the only one who noticed, but I was the only one who didn't misread it.

"You know Taylor, Diego?" Kara asked; in what I imagined was an insolent tone, from across the fire.

"We've sort of known each other since I was born," Diego laughed, smiling at me again.

"How nice." She didn't sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed. "Taylor," she called again, watching my face carefully, "I was just saying to Caleb that it was too bad none of the Darwin family could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?" Her expression of concern was unconvincing.

"You mean Dr. Mike Darwin's family?" the tall, older guy asked before I could respond, much to Kara's irritation. He was closer to a man than any of the other guys here; except maybe me... and his voice was very deep.

"Yes, do you know them?" she asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him.

"The Darwin’s don't come here," he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question.

Caleb, trying to win back her attention, asked Kara's opinion on a CD he held. She was distracted.

I stared at the deep-voiced guy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us. He'd said the Darwin's didn't come here, but his tone had implied something more; that they weren't allowed, they were prohibited. His manner left a strange impression on me; and I tried to ignore it without success.

Diego interrupted my meditation. "So is Cedar Cove driving you insane yet?"

"Oh, don’t you start." I grimaced. He grinned understandingly and we both laughed.

“Jordan and your mom still hate it, huh?” He asked more seriously, once our quiet guffaws had trailed off.

“Neither they, nor Scott seem to have the capacity to believe me when I tell them that I _ like _ being here.” I complained petulantly, pouting at Diego and making him snort again. His laughter was just as infectious at twenty, as it had been when we were ten. 

“Well, you were always the odd one out, _ Tayloren—”_

My fist colliding semi playfully with Diego’s shoulder successfully shut him up before completing my horrendous full name. I shook my head as he laughed and ignored the strange looks the others threw us. Best friend bonding time took presidense over their dumbass opinions of me.

Still, despite our playful exchange, I was still turning over the brief comment about the Darwin's; and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didn't have any better ideas. I hoped that Diego was as open as he’d always been when we were younger, so that he wouldn't see through my sure-to-be-pitiful attempts at info-diving.

"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?" I asked, trying to imitate that way Jake had of looking up making my voice seem appealing. I mean, not _ that _kind of appealing, but the kind that made people want to do what you asked. The whole, hypnotic quality he seemed to have. It couldn't have nearly the same effect, I was sure, but Diego jumped up willingly enough.

As we walked north across the multi-hued stones toward the driftwood seawall, the clouds finally closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket.

"So, when did you get so damn tall?" I asked, trying not to trip like an idiot over the stones of the pebbled beach.

"The rack, dude. Just lay back and let everyone stretch me righ— hey!" Diego laughed as I sighed and nudged him with my elbow, smirking as I made him trip over a washed up tree branch. "Alright, fine... I had a spurt last year." He confessed, snickering.

"Huh," my face was full of jealousy, I knew this; but I couldn't have changed that if I wanted to. "It's beyond unfair that you get to be taller than me."

"Hey, don't get all pouty on me; it's not my fault you were born to be a short ass." He laughed, poking my cheek as I undeniably pouted.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, unable to fight off the easy smile which formed as Diego and I bantered. "Do you come up to Cedar Cove much?" I asked, hoping for a yes. It'd be good to see him more often, to get to hang out with someone not interested in hitting on me.

I mean, I'm not opposed to people hitting on me, say for instance, a certain handsome; if infuriating, scruffy guy happened to hit on me? I'd be pretty damn okay with that. I knew the chances of that were pretty slim though, I would be lying to myself if I ever seriously thought he would.

"Not too much," Diego admitted with a frown, snapping me back out of my wandering thoughts with a guilty start. "But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want." He amended.

I nodded and bumped my fist to his when he offered it, a grin on my lips as we walked in silence for a moment. "Hey," I said, as if suddenly struck by an odd thoughts. "Who was that other guy Kara was talking to? He seemed a little old to be in your social circle." 

"That's Sean; he's twenty too, in fact, he's actually younger than us." He informed me.

_"What?!"_ I yelped, almost tripping over my own damn feet as I looked over at Diego in surprise. "B-but... he's _huge!_" I winced, biting my lip in embarrassment at my outburst, as Diego laughed at my idiocy. "Yeah, yeah; laugh it up..." I grumbled, regaining my feet and stuffing my hands back into my pockets. "Well, anyway... what was that he was saying about the doctor's family?" I asked innocently.

"The Darwin's? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." He looked away, out toward Scuttle Island, as he unwittingly confirmed what I'd thought I'd heard in Sean's voice.

"Why not?"

He glanced back at me, a grin curling his lip. "I'm not supposed to say anything about that." He drawled sarcastically, waving his hands and snorting with amusement.

"Oh, come on! I'm your best friend!" Taylor pouted, jabbing my finger at Diego's shoulder; while it was still inside my coat pocket. "I won't tell anyone, you know that. I'm just curious. I haven't been around here for years... I need to catch up on all the gossip and, ya know... secret stuff I'm not supposed to know." I said, trying and failing not to laugh with Diego, wondering if I was laying it on too thick with the best friend thing; seeing as I'd only just remembered I actually had one.

He smiled back, though, looking amused rather than suspicious. Guess I wasn't laying it on too thick, after all. Then Diego lifted one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before.

"Do you like scary stories?" He asked ominously.

"I love them," I enthused, not even having to lie. Who didn't in this day and age?

Diego strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes; I didn't want him to know just _how _important this was to me.

"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from; the Taíno, I mean?" He began.

"Not really," I admitted, shrugging a shoulder dismissively when he feigned an outraged gasp. I nudged him playfully; and he snorted, his goofy grin reappearing as he considered for a moment, before leaning toward me and beginning to speak in hushed tones.

"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood. Supposedly, the ancient Taíno tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive; like Noah and the ark." He rolled his eyes, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. "Another legend claims that we descended from wolves; and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them."

His voice dropped a little lower. He leaned closer. "Then there are the stories about the cold ones."

"The cold ones?" I asked, my intrigue impossible to hide now.

"Yeah... There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends; and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." He rolled his eyes.

_"Your_ great-grandfather?" I encouraged.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf; well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."

"Werewolves have enemies?"

"Only one."

I stared at him earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration for my friends admittedly excellent story telling skills.

"So you see," Diego continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did; they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to you pale-faces." He winked at me.

"If they weren't dangerous, then why... ?" I tried to understand, struggling not to let him see how seriously I was considering his ghost story.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too _hungry_ to resist." He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone. I would have whacked his leg for trying to scare me, but I was too lost in my rapid fire thoughts to do anything but hang off his every word.

"What do you mean, 'civilized'?"

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."

I tried to keep my voice casual. "So how does it fit in with the Darwin's? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"

"No." He paused dramatically. "They're the _same ones."_

Diego must have thought whatever expression I currently wore on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued.

"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Michael. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived." He was fighting a smile.

"And what are they?" I finally asked, hoping Diego couldn't hear the urgency in my voice. "What _are_ the cold ones?"

He smiled darkly.

"Blood drinkers," he replied in a chilling voice. "Your people call them vampires."

I stared out at the rough surf after he answered, not sure what my face was exposing.

"You have goose bumps," he laughed delightedly.

"You're a good storyteller," I complimented him, still staring into the waves.

"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone."

I couldn't control my expression enough to look at him yet. "Don't worry, dude. You know I won't give you away."

"I guess I just violated the treaty," he laughed.

"I'll take it to the grave," I promised, then I shivered, tempted to laugh at my poor choice of words.

"Seriously, though, don't say anything to Scott. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital since Dr. Darwin started working there."

"I won't... of course not."

"So, do you think we're a bunch of superstitious latino's now, or what?" Diego asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. I still hadn't looked away from the ocean.

I turned and smiled at him as normally as I could. "No. I think you're a doofus." I snickered more naturally as Diego jabbed me with his elbow. "And, I think you're awesome at telling scary stories, dude. I still have goose bumps, see?" I held up my arm.

"Sweet." He laughed.

And then the sound of the beach rocks clattering against each other warned us that someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Brian and Zoe about fifty yards away, walking toward us.

"There you are, Taylor," Brian called with a mixture of suspicion and relief, waving his arm over his head.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Diego asked quietly, alerted by the jealous edge in Brian's voice. I was surprised I wasn't the only one to notice; it always seemed like the others never heard half the shit Brian said to or about me.

"Oh, _hell_ no." I whispered with a scowl, grimacing as I turned away from Brian toward Diego, who stifled a laugh. "Over my dead body, dude." I muttered beneath my breath, snorting when I considered again, the poor choice of words. I was tremendously grateful to Diego; and I was beyond thrilled to have him in my life again.

"So when I get a free day..." he began.

"You should come see me in Cedar Cove. We need to hang out sometime and catch up on the past decade." I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that I'd used him. But Diego would understand, I was sure, if he knew how all my burning questions about the Darwin's; about _Jake, _had been driving me insane. He was someone I could trust with this, I was sure. One day.

Brian had reached us now, with Zoe still a few paces back. I could see his eyes appraising Diego, and looking satisfied at his apparent lack of interest in me.

"Where have you been?" he demanded roughly, though the answer was right in front of him.

"Diego was just telling me some local stories," I volunteered. "It was really interesting." I smiled over at Diego warmly; and he grinned back as we tussled playfully on our tree bench.

"Well," Brian paused, carefully reassessing the situation as he watched our camaraderie. "We're packing up; it looks like it's going to rain soon." We all looked up at the glowering sky. It certainly did look like rain.

"Okay." I jumped up. "I'm coming."

"It was nice to see you _again,"_ Diego said; and I could tell he was taunting Brian just a bit. My childhood, brotherly love for my best friend was back full force as I hid a grin behind my hand, trying not to laugh at Brian practically foaming at the mouth over Diego's audacity to have some claim on me that he didn't know about.

"It really was. Next time Scott comes down to see Ricardo, I'll come, too," I promised.

Diego's grin stretched across his face. "That would be cool. We can stream old Star Wars movie together."

"Sure! And thanks," I added earnestly.

I pulled up my hood as we tramped across the rocks toward the parking lot. A few drops were beginning to fall, making black spots on the stones where they landed. When we got to the Vauxhall, the others were already finished loading everything back in. I crawled into the back of Max’s minivan by Cameron and Caleb, announcing that I was exhausted and wanted to have a power nap. Cameron just stared out the window at the escalating storm; and Kara twisted around the back of the driver's seat to occupy Max's attention. Maybe it's bad of me to hope they don't get back together, because it would leave Caleb in the dust. And dateless. And back to bothering me... again. So, anything to avoid that.

I could simply lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes and try very hard not to think.


	7. Collision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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**Collision**

I told Scott I had a lot of homework to do; and that I didn't want anything to eat. There was a train programme on that he was excited about, though of course I had no idea what was special about it, so he wasn't aware of anything unusual in my face or tone.

Once in my room, I locked the door, lingering for a brief moment before forcing myself to keep moving. I dug through my desk until I found my old headphones; and I plugged them into my little CD player. I know most people use music players now a days, and it's convenient but I always preferred buying the actual soundtracks and listening at them at home on a player. I get a better vibe out of it. I picked up a CD that Jim had given me one Christmas. It was one of his favorite bands, but they used a little too much bass and shrieking for my tastes. I popped it into place and lay down on my bed. I put on the headphones, hit play; and turned up the volume until it hurt my ears. I closed my eyes, but the light still intruded, so I added a pillow over the top half of my face.

I concentrated very carefully on the music, trying to understand the lyrics, to unravel the complicated drum patterns. By the third time I'd listened through the CD, I knew all the words to the choruses, at least. I was surprised to find that I really did like the band after all, once I got past the blaring noise. I'd have to thank Jim again.

And it worked. The shattering beats made it impossible for me to think; which was the whole purpose of the exercise. I listened to the CD again and again, until I was singing along with all the songs, until; finally, I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes to a familiar place. Aware in some corner of my consciousness that I was dreaming, I recognized the green light of the forest. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks somewhere nearby. And I knew that if I found the ocean, I'd be able to see the sun. I was trying to follow the sound, but then Diego Soto was there, tugging on my hand, pulling me back toward the blackest part of the forest.

"Diego? What's wrong?" I asked. His face was frightened as he yanked with all his strength against my resistance; I didn't want to go into the dark.

"Run, Taylor, you have to run!" He whispered, terrified.

"This way, Taylor!" I recognized Brian's voice calling out of the gloomy heart of the trees, but I couldn't see him.

"What..?" I asked, still pulling against Diego's grasp, desperate now to find the sun. “Why?”

But Diego let go of my hand and yelped, suddenly shaking, falling to the dim forest floor. He twitched on the ground as I watched in horror.

"Diego!" I screamed. But he was gone. In his place was a large jet black wolf with warm honey eyes. The wolf faced away from me, pointing toward the shore, the hair on the back of its shoulders bristling, low growls issuing from between its exposed fangs.

"Taylor, run!" Brian cried out again from behind me. But I didn't turn. I was watching a light come toward me slowly from the beach.

And then Jake stepped out from the trees, his skin faintly glowing, his eyes black and dangerous. He held up one hand and beckoned me to come to him. The wolf growled at my feet.

I took a step forward, toward Jake. He smiled then, and his teeth were sharp, pointed. "Trust me," he purred.

I took another step.

The wolf launched himself across the space between me and the vampire; its fangs aiming for the jugular.

"No!" I screamed, wrenching upright out of my bed.

My sudden movement caused the headphones to pull the CD player off the bedside table, and it clattered to the wooden floor.

My light was still on, and I was sitting fully dressed on the bed, with my shoes on. I glanced, disoriented, at the clock on my dresser. It was five thirty in the morning.

I groaned, fell back to my fluffy but dishevelled pillows; and rolled over onto my face, kicking off my boots. I was too uncomfortable to get anywhere near sleep again, though. I rolled back over and unbuttoned my jeans, yanking them off awkwardly as I tried to stay horizontal. I pulled the pillow back over my eyes.

It was all of no use, of course. My subconscious had dredged up exactly the images I'd been trying so desperately to avoid. I was going to have to face them now.

I sat up, and my head spun for a minute as the blood flowed downward. First things first, I thought to myself, happy to put it off as long as possible. I grabbed my bathroom bag.

The shower didn't last nearly as long as I hoped it would, though. Even taking the time to blow dry my hair and style it into my favoured spikes, I was soon out of things to do in the bathroom. Maybe it's due to me not belting out a single song. With a towel wrapped around my waist, I crossed back to my room. I couldn't tell if Scott was still asleep, or if he had already left. I went to look out my window, and the cruiser was gone. Fishing then.

I dressed slowly in my favourite jeans and then made my bed; something I never did. My procrastination knows no bounds. 

I couldn't put it off any longer. I went to my desk and switched on my old computer.

I was nervous. I knew that this moment, this precise decision in my life; would be one step closer to changing things forever. I sensed there weren’t many steps on this short path. I hopped up from my chair before my computer had finished loading, deciding I could procrastinate some more by going to get myself a bowl of cereal. Can’t sleuth on an empty stomach after all.

I ate slowly, chewing each bite with care. When I was done, I washed the bowl and spoon, dried them; and put them away. One at a time. My feet dragged as I climbed the stairs. I went to my CD player first, picking it up off the floor and placing it precisely in the center of the table. I pulled out the headphones and put them away in the desk drawer. Then I turned the same CD on, turning it down to the point where it was background noise.

With another sigh, I turned to my computer. Naturally, the screen was covered in pop-up ads. I sat in my hard folding chair and began closing all the little windows. Eventually I made it to my favorite search engine. I shot down a few more pop-ups and then typed in one word.

**Vampire**.

It took an infuriatingly long time, of course. Or rather, it seemed to; possibly because of the tense coil of anxiety in my gut. When the results came up, there was a lot to sift through. Everything from movies and TV shows to role-playing games, underground metal; and gothic cosmetic companies. Then I found a promising site. 

_ Vampires A-Z _

I waited impatiently for it to load, quickly clicking closed each ad that flashed across the screen. Finally the screen was finished; simple white background with black text, academic-looking. Two quotes greeted me on the home page:

_ Throughout the vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet dight with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both. - Rev. Montague Summers _

_ If there is in this world a well-attested account, it is that of the vampires. Nothing is lacking: official reports, affidavits of well-known people, of surgeons, of priests, of magistrates; the judicial proof is most complete. And with all that, who is there who believes in vampires? - Rousseau _

The rest of the site was an alphabetized listing of all the different myths of vampires held throughout the world. The first I clicked on, the Danag, was a Filipino vampire supposedly responsible for planting taro on the islands long ago. The myth continued that the Danag worked with humans for many years, but the partnership ended one day when a woman cut her finger and a Danag sucked her wound, enjoying the taste so much that it drained her body completely of blood.

I read carefully through the descriptions, looking for anything that sounded familiar, let alone plausible. It seemed that most vampire myths centered around beautiful women as demons and children as victims; they also seemed like constructs created to explain away the high mortality rates for young children; and to give men an excuse for infidelity. Many of the stories involved bodiless spirits and warnings against improper burials. There wasn't much that sounded like the movies I'd seen; and only a very few, like the Hebrew Estrie and the Polish Upier, who were even preoccupied with drinking blood.

Only three entries really caught my attention: the _ Romanian Varacolaci _ , a powerful undead being who could appear as a beautiful, pale-skinned human, the _ Slovak Nelapsi _ , a creature so strong and fast it could massacre an entire village in the single hour after midnight... and one other, the _ Stregoni benefici_.

About this last, there was but one, brief sentence.

_ Stregoni benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness; and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires. _

It was a relief, that one small entry, the one myth among hundreds that claimed the existence of good vampires.

Overall, though, there was little that coincided with Diego's stories or my own observations. I'd made a little catalogue in my mind as I'd read and carefully compared it with each myth. Speed, strength, beauty, pale skin, eyes that shift color; and then Diego's criteria added to that. Blood drinkers, enemies of the werewolf, cold-skinned; and, of course, immortal. There were very few myths that matched even one factor.

And then another problem, one that I'd remembered from the small number of scary movies that I'd seen and was backed up by today's reading; vampires couldn't come out in the daytime, the sun would burn them to a cinder. They slept in coffins all day and came out only at night.

Aggravated, I snapped off the computer's main power switch, not waiting to shut things down properly. Through my irritation, I felt an overwhelming embarrassment. It was all so stupid. I was sitting in my room, researching goddamn _ vampires _of all things. What was wrong with me? I decided that most of the blame belonged on the doorstep of the town of Cedar Cove; and the entire sodden Southern Peninsula, for that matter.

I had to get out of the house, but there was nowhere I wanted to go that didn't involve a three day drive. I pulled on my boots anyway, unclear where I was headed, but heading there anyway. I went downstairs, shrugged into my raincoat without checking the weather; and stomped out the door.

It was overcast, but not raining yet. I ignored my truck and started east on foot, angling across Scott's yard toward the ever-encroaching forest. It didn't take long till I was deep enough for the house and the road to be invisible, for the only sound to be the squish of the damp earth under my feet and the sudden cries of startled birds and other forest animals.

There was a thin ribbon of a trail that led through the forest here, or I wouldn't risk wandering on my own like this. I might be well trained in hiking, but I wasn’t an idiot, even when so distracted; I wasn’t about to risk getting lost. I could do that in much less helpful surroundings, like college. The trail wound deeper and deeper into the forest, mostly east as far as I could tell. It snaked around the Sitka spruces and hemlocks, yews and maples. I knew the names of the trees around me thanks to Scott pointing them out to me from the cruiser window in earlier days, before Jordan put an end to our yearly summer month in town. There were many more that I didn't know though; and others I couldn't be sure about, because they were so covered in green parasites.

I followed the trail as long as my anger at myself pushed me forward. As that started to ebb, I slowed. A few drops of moisture trickled down from the canopy above me, but I couldn't be certain if it was beginning to rain or if it was simply pools left over from yesterday, held high in the leaves above me, slowly dripping their way back to the earth. A recently fallen tree; I knew it was recent because it wasn't entirely carpeted in moss, rest against the trunk of one of her sisters, creating a sheltered little bench just a few safe feet off the trail. I stepped over the ferns and sat carefully, making sure my jacket was between the damp seat and my clothes wherever they touched; and leaned my hooded head back against the living tree.

This was the wrong place to have come. I should have known, but where else was there to go? The forest was deep green and far too much like the scene in last night's dream to allow for peace of mind. It probably didn’t help that it reminded me so heavily of Jake’s jacket. Now that there was no longer the sound of my soggy footsteps, the silence was piercing. The birds were quiet, too, the drops increasing in frequency, so it must be raining above. The ferns stood higher than my head, now that I was seated. I knew someone could walk by on the path, three feet away; and not see me at all. That thought was glorious.

Here in the trees it was much easier to believe the absurdities that embarrassed me indoors. Nothing had changed in this forest for thousands of years; and all the myths and legends of a hundred different lands seemed much more likely in this green haze than they had in my clear-cut bedroom.

I forced myself to focus on the two most vital questions I had to answer, but I did so unwillingly.

First, I had to decide if it was possible that what Diego had said about the Darwins' could be true.

Immediately my mind responded with a resounding negative. It was silly and morbid to entertain such ridiculous notions. But what, then_? _ I asked myself. There was no rational explanation for how I was alive at this moment. I listed again in my head the things I'd observed myself: the impossible speed and strength, the eye color shifting from black to cerulean; and on that one occasion when Jake had saved my damn life, gold. Then of course, they’d turned back again. There was the inhuman beauty, the pale, frigid skin. And more; small things that registered slowly, how they never seemed to eat, the disturbing grace with which they moved. 

He had skipped class the day we'd done Dracula; where there had been blood on the screen. He hadn't said no to the beach trip till he heard where we were going. He seemed to know what everyone around him was thinking... except me. He had told me he was the villain, dangerous...

Could the Darwin family, be vampires?

Well, they were certainly something. Something outside the possibility of rational justification was taking place in front of my incredulous eyes. Whether it be Diego's cold ones or my own superhero theory, Jake McKenzie was not... human. He was something more.

So then; maybe. That would have to be my answer for now.

And then the most important question of all. What was I going to do if it was true?

_If Jake is a vampire_, I could hardly make myself think the words, _then what should I do_? Involving someone else was definitely out. I couldn't even believe myself; anyone I told would have me committed.

Only two options seemed practical. The first was to take his advice: to be smart, to avoid him as much as possible. To cancel our plans, to go back to ignoring him as far as I was able. To pretend there was an impenetrably thick glass wall between us in the one class where we were forced together. To tell him to leave me alone; and mean it this time.

I was gripped in a sudden agony of despair as I considered that alternative. My mind rejected the pain, quickly skipping on to the next option.

I could do nothing different. After all, if he was something... sinister, he'd done nothing to hurt me so far. In fact, I would be a dent in Caleb's fender if he hadn't acted so quickly. So quickly, I argued with myself, that it might have been sheer reflexes. But if his natural reflex was to save lives, how bad can he be? I refuted. My head spun around in answerless circles.

There was one thing I was sure of, if I was sure of anything. The dark Jake in my dream last night was a reflection only of my fear of the word Diego had spoken; and not of Jake himself. I’d meant it when I told him I wasn’t afraid of him. Then too, when I'd screamed out in terror at the werewolf's lunge, it wasn't fear for the wolf that brought the cry of "no" to my lips. It was fear that he would be harmed; even as he called to me with sharp-edged fangs, I feared _ for _him.

And I knew in that; I had my answer. I didn't know if there ever was a choice, really. I was already in too deep. Now that I knew; _if_ I knew, I could do nothing about my frightening secret. Because when I thought of him, of his voice, his hypnotic eyes, the magnetic force of his personality, I wanted nothing more than to be with him right now. Even if... but I couldn't think it. Not here, alone in the darkening forest. Not while the rain made it dim as twilight under the canopy and pattered like footsteps across the matted earthen floor. I shivered and rose quickly from my place of concealment, worried that somehow the path would have disappeared with the rain.

But it was there, safe and clear, winding its way out of the dripping green maze. I followed it hastily, my hood pulled close around my face, becoming surprised, as I nearly ran through the trees, at how far I had come. I started to wonder if I was heading out at all, or following the path farther into the confines of the forest, my sense of direction thrown off by my vigorous soul searching. Before I could get too panicky, though, I began to glimpse some open spaces through the webbed branches. Then I could hear a car passing on the street; and I was free. Scott's lawn stretched out in front of me, the house beckoning me, promising warmth and dry socks.

It was just gone noon when I got back inside. I went upstairs and got dressed for the day, dry jeans and a dull red t-shirt, since I was staying indoors. It didn't take too much effort to concentrate on my task for the day, a paper on The Great Gatsby that was due Wednesday. I settled into outlining a rough draft contentedly, more serene than I'd felt since... well, since Thursday afternoon, if I was being honest.

That had always been my way, though. Making decisions was the painful part for me, the part I agonized over. But once the decision was made, I simply followed through; usually with relief that the choice was made. Sometimes the relief was tainted by despair, like my decision to leave my mom and brother. But it was still better than wrestling with the alternatives.

This decision was ridiculously easy to live with. Dangerously easy.

And so the day was quiet, productive. I finished my paper before eight. Scott came home with a large catch; and I made a mental note to pick up a book of recipes for fish while I was in Seattle next week. The chills that flashed up my spine whenever I thought of that trip were no different than the ones I'd felt before I'd taken my walk with Diego Soto. They should be different, I thought. I should be afraid. I knew I should be, but I couldn't feel the right kind of fear.

I slept dreamlessly that night, exhausted from beginning my day so early; and sleeping so poorly the night before. I woke, for the second time since arriving in Cedar Cove, to the bright yellow light of a sunny day. I skipped to the window, stunned to see that there was hardly a cloud in the sky; and those there were just fleecy little white puffs that couldn't possibly be carrying any rain. I opened the window, surprised when it opened silently and without sticking, not having opened it in who knows how many years; and sucked in the relatively dry air. It was nearly warm and hardly windy at all. My blood was electric in my veins.

That wasn’t because of the weather though. No, I was excited because after waiting since he’d dropped me off on Thursday, I finally had a theory I could tell Jake McKenzie. Regardless of how foolish that idea might be.

Scott was finishing breakfast when I came downstairs; and he picked up on my high energy levels immediately.

"Nice day out," he commented.

"Yes," I agreed with a grin. I didn’t mention the weather had nothing to do with my mood

He smiled back, his brown eyes crinkling around the edges. When Scott smiled, it was easier to see why he and my mother had jumped too quickly into an early marriage. Most of the young romantic he'd been in those days had faded before I'd known him, as the curly red hair; the same color, if not the same texture, as mine; had become touched with a dash of white here and there. But when he smiled I could see a little of the man who had run away with Julia when she was two years younger than I was now.

I ate breakfast cheerily, watching the dust moats stirring in the sunlight that streamed in the back window. Scott called out a goodbye; and I heard the cruiser pull away from the house. I hesitated on my way out the door, hand on my rain jacket. It would be tempting fate to leave it home. With a sigh, I folded it over my arm and stepped out into the brightest light I'd seen in months.

By dint of much elbow grease, I was able to get both windows in the truck almost completely rolled down. I was one of the first ones to college; I hadn't even checked the clock in my hurry to get outside. I parked and headed toward the seldom used picnic benches on the south side of the cafeteria. The benches were still a little damp, so I sat on my jacket, glad to have a use for it. My homework was done; the product of a slow social life, but there were a few Programming notations I wasn't sure I had right. I took out my book industriously, but halfway through rechecking the first exercise, I was daydreaming, watching the sunlight play on the red-barked trees. I sketched inattentively along the margins of my homework. After a few minutes, I suddenly realized I'd drawn five pairs of dark eyes staring out of the page at me. I scrubbed them out with the eraser.

"Taylor!"

I heard someone call; and I groaned. It sounded like Brian.

I looked around to realize that the college had become populated while I'd been sitting there, absentminded. Everyone was in t-shirts, some even in shorts though the temperature couldn't be over sixty. Brian was coming toward me in khaki shorts and a striped Rugby shirt, waving.

"Hey, Brian," I called, waving back halfheartedly, despite the glorious morning sun.

He came to sit by me, the tidy spikes of his hair shining red in the light, a smug grin stretching across his face. He was so delighted to see me, I couldn't help but feel gratified.

"I never noticed before; our hair matches." He commented, reaching as if to touch my hair. I jerked away, narrowing my eyes in disgust. _ Nobody _ touches my hair… except for maybe—

"The hell? Dude," I snarked, scowling at him as I batted his hand away from me with my own.

I was more than a little uncomfortable as his hand lingered in the air near to where my head had been, his expression darkening briefly.

"Great day, isn't it?" He sniffed a moment later, dropping his hand and looking around as if I hadn’t just tried to glare a hole through him.

"Peachy." I agreed with a sneer, still able to feel the grimace of disgust on my face.

"What did you do yesterday?" His tone was just a bit too accusatory for my liking; as if he had some right to know my every move.

"I mostly worked on my essay." I didn't add that I was finished with it. I wouldn’t want to hurt widdle Crandall’s feelings. I almost snorted at the thought, biting the inside of my cheek hard as I recalled Jake’s comment the previous Thursday.

He hit his forehead with the heel of his hand in badly feigned surprise. "Oh yeah; that's due Thursday, right?"

"Um, Wednesday, I think."

"Wednesday?" He frowned. "That's not good... What are you writing yours on?"

"About how the book should've been written in this time where the expected ending would be for Gatsby to fall for Nick instead near the end and nobody except bastard dicks and selfish hoes has to die in car crashes." He stared at me like I'd just spoken in pig Latin. I sighed internally. I really had to remember that people didn’t get sarcasm in Cedar Cove. But I wasn't being sarcastic about wanting that ending; Nick and Jay deserved each other.

"I guess I'll have to get to work on that tonight," he said, deflated. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go out."

"_ Pfft_." I was taken off guard; and the snort slipped out before I could stop it. Why couldn't I ever have a pleasant conversation with Brian? Was he just hard wired to be a completely oblivious jerk?

"Well, we could still go to dinner or something... and I could work on it later." He smiled at me hopefully.

"Brian..." I hated being put on the spot. "What you’re suggesting?” I drawled, surprised by my lack of shyness as I grinned and shook my head. ”Is _ never _ going to happen."

His face fell. "Why?" he demanded, his eyes guarded.

My thoughts flickered to Jake, wondering if that's where his thoughts were as well. I wondered if I would be so brave, facing down the man I was seriously coming to believe might possibly be a vampire.

"I think…” I said slowly, thinking on my feet as I cleared my mind of as many thoughts of Jake as I could. “And if you ever repeat what I'm saying right now; I will cheerfully beat you to death," I threatened, completely serious, though Brian didn’t seem to notice; judging by his further darkening expression. "But I think that would hurt Zoe's feelings."

He was bewildered, obviously not thinking in that would be a problem at all. "So, why does she have to know..?"

This asshole was dropped on the head a lot as a kid, no question. No one in their right mind would had complete disregard for others.

"Really, Brian, are you _ that _ much of a fucking asshole?"

"Huh?" He frowned; clearly confused by my radiating hostility.

I took advantage of that to make my escape. "It's time for class; and I can't be late again." I said tightly, gathering up my books and stuffing them in my bag.

We walked in silence to building three, his expression distracted. I hoped whatever thoughts he was immersed in were leading him in the right direction; but I severely doubted it. I was starting to write Brian off as a lost cause.

When I saw Zoe in class, she was bubbling with enthusiasm. She, Cameron, and Kara were going to Port Royale tonight to go dress shopping for the dance; and for some reason, she wanted me to come, too, even though I didn't wasn’t a girl and even though I wasn’t going. I was indecisive. 

It would be nice to get out of town, but; Kara would be there. Besides, who knew what I could be doing tonight... But that was definitely the wrong path to let my mind wander down. Of course I was happy about the sunlight. But that wasn't responsible for the euphoric mood I was in, not even close.

So I gave her a maybe, telling her I'd have to talk with Scott first.

She talked of nothing but the dance on the way to Programming, continuing as if without an interruption when class finally ended, five minutes late. Then we were on our way to lunch. I was far too lost in my own frenzy of anticipation to notice much of what she said. I was painfully eager to see not just him but all the Darwins'; to compare them with the new suspicions that plagued my mind. As I crossed the threshold of the cafeteria, I felt a true tingle of excitement slither down my spine and settle in my stomach. Would they be able to know what I was thinking? And then a different feeling jolted through me; would Jake be waiting to sit with me again?

As was my routine, I glanced first toward the Darwins' table. A shiver of panic trembled in my stomach as I realized it was empty. With dwindling hope, my eyes scoured the rest of the cafeteria, hoping to find him alone, waiting for me. The place was nearly filled; Programming had made us late, but there was no sign of Jake or any of his family. Desolation hit me with crippling strength.

I shambled along behind Zoe, not bothering to pretend to listen anymore.

We were late enough that everyone was already at our table. I avoided the empty chair next to Brian in favor of one by Cameron. I vaguely noticed that Brian held the chair out for Zoe; and that her face lit up in response, even if his remained a calculating frown.

Cameron asked a few quiet questions about the the assigned paper, which I answered as naturally as I could while spiraling downward in misery. They, too, invited me to go with them tonight; and I quickly agreed now, grasping at anything to distract myself.

I realized I'd been holding on to a last shred of hope when I entered English Lit, saw his empty seat; and felt my heart sink with a new wave of disappointment.

The rest of the day passed slowly, dismally. In Gym, we had a lecture on the rules of badminton, the next torture they had lined up for me. But at least it meant I got to sit and listen instead of stumbling around on the court. The best part was the coach didn't finish, so I got another day off tomorrow. Never mind that the day after they would arm me with a racket before unleashing me on the rest of the class.

I was glad to leave campus, so I would be free to pout and mope before I went out tonight with Zoe and company. But right after I walked in the door of Scott's house, Zoe called to cancel our plans. I tried to be happy that Brian had asked her out to dinner, I really was relieved that he finally seemed to be catching on, or at least trying his luck with someone more receptive to his advances; but my enthusiasm sounded false in my own ears. She rescheduled our shopping trip for tomorrow night.

Which left me with little in the way of distractions. I had fish marinating for dinner, with a salad and bread left over from the night before, so there was nothing to do there. I spent a focused half hour on coursework, but then I was through with that, too. I checked my email, reading the backlog of letters from my mother, getting snippier as they progressed to the present. The ones from Jordan were less irate, tending more to ramble about inconsequential things I really didn’t need him to tell me about; but that he knew would wig me out. I sighed and typed a quick response to both.

_ Mom, _

_ Sorry. I've been out. I went to the beach with some friends. And I had to write a paper. _

My excuses were fairly pathetic, so I gave up quickly, deciding to skip Jordan's email and just call hima bit later.

_ It's sunny outside today; I know, I'm shocked, too! I'm going to go outside and soak up as much vitamin D as I can. I love you, _

_ Taylor. _

After phoning Jordan, and this time, the banter was light as he ranted about an argument he had with Michael regarding something trivial, I assumed, because he couldn't really give me a direct answer to what they had fought about. When I dropped the call, I immediately sent the guy a message, telling him my idiot twin was pining. It usually worked to set them both straight... in a manner of speaking.

After that, I decided to kill an hour with non-school-related reading. I had a small collection of books that came with me to Cedar Cove, the shabbiest volume being a compilation of the works of Anthony Trollope. I selected that one and headed to the backyard, grabbing a ragged old quilt from the linen cupboard at the top of the stairs on my way down.

Outside in Scott's small, square yard, I folded the quilt in half and laid it out of the reach of the trees' shadows on the thick lawn that would always be slightly wet, no matter how long the sun shone. I lay on my stomach, crossing my ankles in the air, flipping through the different novels in the book, trying to decide which would occupy my mind the most thoroughly. My favorites were Miss Mackenzie and The Vicar of Bullhampton. I'd read the first most recently, so I started into The Vicar of Bullhampton, only to remember after I began page three that there was a character in the story happened to be named Jacob. Angrily, I turned to Is He Popenjoy? But then, there was a character in that piece who was named Capt. Jack; and that was just too close. Weren't there any other names available in the late nineteenth century? I snapped the book shut, annoyed; and rolled over onto my back.

I pushed my sleeves up as high as they would go and closed my eyes. I would think of nothing but the warmth on my skin, I told myself severely. The breeze was still light, but it blew tendrils of my hair around my face; and that tickled a bit. I pulled the quilt out above me; and focused again on the heat that touched my eyelids, my cheekbones, my nose, my lips, my forearms, my neck, soaked through my light shirt...

The next thing I was conscious of was the sound of Scott's cruiser turning onto the bricks of the driveway. I sat up in surprise, realizing the light was gone, behind the trees; and that I had fallen asleep. I looked around, muddled, with the sudden feeling that I wasn't alone.

"Scott?" I asked. But I could hear his door slamming in front of the house.

I jumped up, foolishly edgy, gathering the now-damp quilt and my book. I ran inside to get some oil heating on the stove, realizing that dinner would be late. Scott was hanging up his gun belt and stepping out of his boots when I came in.

"Sorry, Dad, dinner's not ready yet; I fell asleep outside." I stifled a yawn.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I wanted to catch the Model Train Exhibition, anyway."

I watched TV with Scott after dinner, for something to do. There wasn't anything on which I wanted to watch, but he knew I didn't like trains as much as he did, so he turned it to some mindless sitcom that neither of us enjoyed. He seemed happy, though, to be doing something together. And it felt good, despite my depression, to make him happy.

"Dad," I said during a commercial, "Zoe and Cameron are going to look at dresses for the dance tomorrow night in Port Royale, and they wanted me to help them choose... do you mind if I go with them?"

"Zoe Leon?" he asked.

"And Cameron Levy." I sighed as I gave him the details.

He was confused. "But you're not going to the dance, right?"

"No, Dad, but I'm helping them find dresses; you know, giving them constructive criticism. Decent male opinion and all that." I wouldn't have to explain this to a woman.

"Well, okay." He seemed to realize that he was out of his depth with this kind of stuff. "Just don’t be too late, though. You’ll still have classes tomorrow."

"We'll leave right after our last class, so we can get back early. You'll be okay for dinner, right?" I said, raising a brow as I fought a small grin. “You do realise I’m twenty, right Dad? I can handle the occasional late night.”

"Tay-Bear, I fed myself for seventeen years before you got here," he reminded me, though he looked suitably admonished at the reminder of my age. He cleared his throat and chose not to comment any further. I thought he was very wise.

"I don't know how you survived," I muttered, then added more clearly, "I'll leave some things for cold-cut sandwiches in the fridge, okay? Right on top."

A woke up to a sunny morning and a message from Michael that they'd made up, and were chilling in Jordan's room; my old room. I told him to make sure Jordan cleans the sheets after, and he just sent me a winky face as a reply. I rolled my eyes. Still, I felt a renewed hope for the day that I grimly tried to suppress. I dressed for the warmer weather in a deep blue shirt that matched my eyes, then rolled up the sleeves. It was something I'd worn in the dead of winter in Sunset Beach; after Jordan had bought it for me one Christmas.

I had planned my arrival at school so that I barely had time to make it to class. With a sinking heart, I circled the full lot looking for a space, while also searching for the silver Audi that was clearly not there. I parked in the last row and hurried to Technology, arriving breathless, but subdued before the final bell.

It was the same as yesterday; I just couldn't keep little sprouts of hope from budding in my mind, only to have them squashed painfully as I searched the lunchroom in vain and sat at my empty English Lit table.

The Port Royale scheme was back on again for tonight and made all the more attractive by the fact that Kara had other obligations. I was anxious to get out of town so I could stop glancing over my shoulder, hoping to see him appearing out of the blue the way he always did. I vowed to myself that I would be in a good mood tonight and not ruin Cameron's or Zoe's enjoyment in the dress hunting. Maybe I could do a little clothes shopping as well while they were looking at… more private girl stuff. I might be a good friend; but I draw the line at being around if they were shopping for lingerie. 

I refused to think that I might be shopping alone in Seattle at the weekend. Even if he was no longer interested in the earlier arrangement, surely he wouldn't cancel without at least telling me? Was Jake really that much of a dick?

I wanted to say no; but I could definitely recall a few instances which would be hard to discredit.

After school, Zoe followed me home in her old white Mustang, so that I could ditch my books and truck. I brushed my hair quickly when I was inside, feeling a slight lift of excitement as I contemplated getting out of Cedar Cove. I left a note for Scott on the table, explaining again where to find dinner, switched my scruffy wallet from my school bag to a smarter one which I rarely used; and jogged out to join Zoe. We went to Cameron's house next; and they were waiting for us. My excitement increased exponentially as we actually drove out of the town limits.

I couldn’t tell what; but I knew I was headed toward another of those very permanent, life changing events.


	8. Ambushed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was crazy fun to write this entire thing! 
> 
> Some technical issues made it hard, too, but we pushed through because we are obsessed and in love with this project. All in all, pretty satisfied how this chapter went. Hope you guys think the same!
> 
> Please let us know if there's something you particularly enjoy or if there's anything you're hoping to see
> 
> x Our love to you all x
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> ✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Ambushed**

Zoe drove faster than Scott, so we made it to Port Royale by four.

It had been a while since I'd had a night out at town, and while it couldn't compare to hiking or mountain climbing, the testosterone rush was invigorating. We listened to whiny rock songs while Zoe jabbered on about the boys we hung out with. Her dinner with Brian had gone very well, and she was hoping that by Saturday night they would have progressed to the first-kiss stage.

I kept my grimace to myself, I mean; I was pleased for Zoe and all, but I really didn't need to picture Brian and any kind of kissing. Cameron was pleasantly happy to be going to the dance, especially now that they'd gotten close to Aiden more since they asked him out. Zoe tried to get them to confess the specifics of why they were into Aiden. I got the feeling she didn't really see the appeal. I didn't think it was her right to know about that so I interrupted with a question about dresses after a bit, to spare them. Cameron threw a grateful glance my way.  
  
Port Royale was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quaint than Cedar Cove. But Zoe and Cameron knew it well, so they didn't plan to waste time on the picturesque boardwalk by the bay. Zoe drove straight to the one big department store in town, which was a few streets in from the bay area's visitor-friendly face.

The dance was billed as semiformal, and we weren't exactly sure what that meant. Both Zoe and Cameron seemed surprised and almost disbelieving when I told them I'd been to almost every dance in Sunset beach.

"Did you ever go with a girlfriend?" Zoe asked dubiously as we walked through the front doors of the store.

"Honestly, I'm into guys." No point hiding it; and definitely time to put a very clear boundary down. I didn't want any kind of attention from Zoe, should her infatuation with Brian prove fruitless. Really though, it should be obvious by now. I'm surprised nobody hasn't figured it out... Or maybe Zoe was in denial, for her sake of being with Brian. "But I'm a bit more... Careful. My dad's a cop, and they have to be up to standards."

Zoe pouted and huffed indignantly, I had to wonder why. "And you don't think Brian is?"

Uh oh. Gotta backtrack here, I thought.

I couldn't really express my distaste for Brian in front of Zoe. It would be like insulting her choice of men, even if she did have to have pretty bad taste, to like Brian. Myra might get it, but then, she's not blinded with infatuation.

"I just have a certain... type. Brian's not it. Some guys just make me... uncomfortable." I shrug, "my dad doesn't like it when I'm uncomfortable."

That's why he had been so easy going with Michael. Jordan looked the happiest when he was around, so that was good enough for Scott. He always thought Jordan had been the hardest to please between us two. He was mostly right, Jordan could be a real ass about some things; like, for instance, our yearly summer trips to our hometown.

I was relieved when Zoe smirked, "Is your type a certain, gorgeous, absentee with a certain southern accent?" She said knowingly.

I blush and tried not to scowl. I changed the subject instead.

"So to answer you, no, I never went with a girlfriend... or anything like that. I was happier just going stag."

"Why?" Zoe demanded.

"No one asked me," I answered honestly. "But it also meant I didn't have to worry about who I danced with or keeping someone else happy."

She looked skeptical. "People ask you out here," she reminded me, "and you tell them no." We were in the dress section now, scanning the racks for 'special occasion' clothes.

"Well, except for Caleb," Cameron amended quietly.

"Yeah, well I don't really— wait, what?" I gasped, my distracted reply cutting off abruptly before my urgent demands. "What about Caleb?"

"He told everyone he's taking you to the end of the year ball. He's only going with Kara now since you're not coming and she asked him." Zoe informed me with suspicious eyes.

"He said... _what_?" I sounded like I was choking.

"I told you it wasn't true," Cameron murmured to Zoe.

I was silent, still lost in shock that was quickly turning to irritation. But we had found the fancy dress racks; and now we had work to do.

"That's why Kara doesn't like you," Zoe giggled while they pawed through the clothes. "She's not that into Caleb, but she really isn't thrilled about being anyone's second choice."

I wouldn't be either, I thought as I ground my teeth. "Do you think that if I ran him over with my truck he would stop feeling guilty about the accident? That he might give up on making amends and call it even?"

"Well," Zoe started, a fond expression I had never really seen before on her face. '"If that's why he's doing this, then maybe... But knowing Caleb, he's more likely to be doing it since you've been a cool friend to him so far. Plus, he knows how it feels to be in a dance and having to socialize without really being in the mood for it, I mean; everyone just thinks you don't like dancing." She continued to babble, ignorant of the way my jaw hit the floor. "He probably thought he'd be doing you a favor, if you both went together. At least you could say you were going with a friend and didn't have to force yourself to mingle with just about everyone. He's just, kinda chivalrous, like that."

It was strange hearing her talk about someone with no hint of malice at all. I looked at Cameron; and they didn't seem at all surprise about Zoe's musing over Caleb. Probably because they had witnessed them dating in the past. I wondered what caused them to break up. Then again, Brian was thrown into that mix so maybe I didn't really want to know. I needed to talk to Myra about hooking Zoe up with Caleb again. Or, if that really was a buried hatchet, someone; _anyone,_ better than Brian.

I don't think I'll ever be on the same wavelength with Zoe, but anybody deserved better than a dick who thought two-timing was a norm.

The dress selection wasn't large, but both of them found a few things to try on. I sat on a low chair just outside of the dressing room, by a large three-way mirror, on my phone texting Myra about my suggestion and shooting ideas on how to go about it. Zoe was torn between two; one a long, strapless, basic black number, the other a knee-length electric blue with spaghetti straps. I encouraged her to go with the blue; why not play up the eyes? Cameron chose a dark, blazer type cardigan that could pass for a dress. But at the same time, they could wear either tights or leggings, which they said they would do along with some knee-high boots that they owned. I pictured the image in my head; and thought Cameron would rock that look, not to mention, knock Aiden's socks off in the process. I complimented them both generously.

While they returned outfits they didn't plan on getting to the racks, I sent another text to Myra to make sure she got pictures and told me Aiden-Cameron details post-dance.

The whole process was much shorter and easier than similar trips I'd taken with Julia and Jordan back at Sunset beach. I guess there was something to be said for limited choices.

We headed over to shoes and accessories. While they tried things on I merely watched and critiqued, not in the mood to shop for myself, though I could have browsed the men's section as I did need new shoes. The night high was wearing off in my brainstorming session with Myra via texts; and wondering how to let down Caleb gently. I mean, I was still pissed that he _publicly_ claimed that I was his date for the last dance of the year; which I might not even go to. But, my initial fury was somewhat smothered after hearing Zoe's input regarding his character.

Plus, unlike Brian, I actually cared to keep him as a friend.

"Cam?" I began, hesitant, while they was trying on a pair of leather boots.

While they already had shoes in mind to with the new outfit they got, they said they wanted options too. Cameron was overjoyed to have a date who wouldn't mind that they wouldn't be wearing strictly feminine dresses. I agreed with her there, Aiden was awkward most of the time, but in all the ways it counted, he was pretty cool, too.

Zoe had drifted to the jewelry counter and we were alone.

"Yes?" They held their leg out, stretching their leg to get a better view of the boot.

I chickened out. "I like those."

"I think I'll get them; and they'll match with other shirts I own besides that new outfit I got too," they mused.

"Oh, go ahead; they're on sale," I encouraged.

They smiled, putting the lid back on a box that contained more practical-looking off-white shoes.

I frowned, annoyed by my falter in confidence. I'd put Brian in his place yesterday; not to mention, been coy and flirtatious with a man I was now almost positive was a vampire. What the hell was I being so shy for _now_, just asking a friend a question?

I cleared my throat and tried again. "Um, Cam..."

They looked up curiously.

"Is it normal for the... Darwin's," I kept my eyes on the boots, despite my determination. "To be out of college a lot?" I failed miserably in my attempt to sound nonchalant.

"Yes, when the weather is good they go backpacking all the time; even the doctor. They're all real outdoorsy," They told me quietly, examining their boots, too. They didn't ask one question, let alone the hundreds that Zoe would have unleashed. 

I knew there was a reason I liked Cameron. Myra was cool, too, but she tended to get over excited by the merest _hint_ of interest and start asking questions; some of which were definitely private. My not-so-subtle intrigue with Jake was sure to be under that an instant squeal inducer; and I don't think I want to encourage her in thinking of ways of hooking us up.

And I get the feeling locking me and Jake in a broom closet would be particularly dangerous for Jake's fluctuating temper.

"Oh."

I let the subject drop as Zoe returned to show us the rhinestone jewelry she'd found to match her silver shoes.

We planned to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk, but the dress shopping hadn't taken as long as we'd expected. Zoe and Cameron were going to take their clothes back to the car and then walk down to the bay. I told them I would meet them at the restaurant in an hour; I wanted to look for a bookstore. I didn't need to wait for my trip to Seattle to do at least a little browsing. They were both willing to come with me, but I encouraged them to go have fun; they didn't know how preoccupied I could get when surrounded by books. It wasn't the same amount as if I had been shopping for hiking gears but still; it was something I preferred to do alone. They walked off to the car chattering happily, and I headed in the direction Zoe pointed out.

I had no trouble finding the bookstore, but it wasn't what I was looking for. The windows were full of crystals, dream-catchers, and existential self-help books. I didn't even go inside. Through the glass I could see a fifty year old woman with long, gray hair worn straight down her back, clad in a dress right out of the sixties, smiling welcomingly from behind the counter. I decided that was one conversation I could skip. There had to be a normal bookstore in town.

I meandered through the streets, which were filling up with end-of-the-workday traffic, and hoped I was headed toward downtown. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should to where I was going; I was wrestling with despair. I was trying so hard not to think about him; and what Cameron had said... and more than anything trying to beat down my hopes for Saturday, fearing a disappointment more painful than the rest, when I looked up to see someone's silver Audi parked along the street and it all came crashing down on me.

Stupid, unreliable vampire, I thought to myself.

I stomped along in a southerly direction, toward some glass-fronted shops that looked promising. But when I got to them, they were just a repair shop and a vacant space. I still had too much time to go looking for Zoe and Cameron yet; and I definitely needed to get my mood in hand before I met back up with them. I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times and took some deep breaths before I continued around the corner.

I started to realize, as I crossed another road, that I was going the wrong direction. The little foot traffic I had seen was going north, and it looked like the buildings here were mostly warehouses. I decided to turn east at the next corner and then loop around after a few blocks, to try my luck on a different street on my way back to the boardwalk.

A group of four men turned around the corner I was heading for, dressed too casually to be heading home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists. As they approached me, I caught sight of two familiar faces. Brian and Max, two of the people at college that I really didn't like dealing with. They were joking loudly among with the rest of their companions who seemed similar to them in age, but I've never seen them before, and there was really only one college in the are. So... College drop outs maybe? They're laughing raucously and punching each other's arms. I scooted as far to the inside of the sidewalk as I could to give them room, walking swiftly, looking past them to the corner.

"Hey, babe!" Brian called as I passed; and I knew he had to be talking to me since no one else was around.

I cringed and tensed up automatically. I side-eyed him discreetly before catching a whiff of booze. Oh, god, he was drunk. I knew that he was going to be even worse than ever, because a sober Brian was already a massive asshole. Two of them had paused, the other two were slowing.

"Brian," I mumbled, a knee-jerk reaction. "Uh, Warren."

Max sneered at me, licking his lips and I cringed. "Ooh, is this your little imaginary girlfriend? Where're your tits, dollface?"

Shit, I grumbled, encountering an equally drunk Max wasn't a good sign either. Plus, how drunk do you have to be that you're unable to determine gender? I refused to believe that my short height made it this difficult to differentiate the two.

"Don't have them." I snapped.

I could hear them laughing at full volume behind me. The closest to Asshole one and Asshole two; was a heavyset, dark-haired man in his early twenties, maybe an older brother of one of them. He was wearing a flannel shirt open over a dirty t-shirt, cut-off jeans, and sandals. He took half a step toward me.

"Yeah... bye," I mumbled, a knee-jerk reaction.

I quickly looked away and walked faster toward the corner. I could hear them laughing at full volume behind me.

"Hey, wait!" one of them called after me again, but I kept my head down and rounded the corner with a sigh of relief. I could still hear them chortling behind me. However much of an asshole Brian or Max were, these other guys were clearly worse.

I found myself on a sidewalk leading past the backs of several somber-colored warehouses, each with large bay doors for unloading trucks, padlocked for the night. The south side of the street had no sidewalk, only a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire protecting some kind of engine parts storage yard. I'd wandered far past the part of Port Royale that I, as a guest, was intended to see. It was getting dark, I realized, the clouds finally returning, piling up on the western horizon, creating an early sunset. The eastern sky was still clear, but graying, shot through with streaks of pink and orange. I'd left my jacket in the car; and a sudden shiver made me cross my arms tightly across my chest. A single van passed me; and then the road was empty.

The sky suddenly darkened further and, as I looked over my shoulder to glare at the offending cloud, I realized with a shock that two men were walking quietly twenty feet behind me.

They were from the same group I'd passed at the corner, though neither were either Brian or Max. I didn't know if that was infinitely better or tragically worse. I turned my head forward at once, frowning and quickening my pace. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather made me shiver again. I knew exactly where my pepper spray was; still attached to my key ring, which I had dumped on the kitchen table when I'd dropped off my truck at home. I didn't have much money with me, just a twenty and some ones; and I thought about "accidentally" dropping my wallet and walking away. But a small voice in the back of my mind warned me that they might be something worse than thieves. I was disappointed to think anyone connected to Brian would be more likely to be that something worse.

I listened intently to their footsteps, which were much too quiet when compared to the boisterous noise they'd been making earlier; and it didn't sound like they were speeding up, or getting any closer to me. Breathe, I had to remind myself. You don't know they're following you. I continued to walk as quickly as I could without actually running, focusing on the right-hand turn that was only a few yards away from me now. I could hear them, staying as far back as they'd been before. A blue car turned onto the street from the south and drove quickly past me. I thought of jumping out in front of it, but I hesitated, inhibited, unsure that I was really being pursued; and then it was too late.

I reached the corner, but a swift glance revealed that it was only a blind drive to the back of another building. I was half-turned in anticipation; I had to hurriedly correct and dash across the narrow drive, back to the sidewalk. The street ended at the next corner, where there was a stop sign. I concentrated on the faint footsteps behind me, deciding whether or not to run. They sounded farther back, though; and I knew they could outrun me in any case. Being this short was the bane of my existence. Besides, I was sure to trip and go sprawling if I tried to go any faster right now. The footfalls were definitely farther back. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder; and they were maybe forty feet back now, I saw with relief. But they were both staring at me.

It seemed to take forever for me to get to the corner. I kept my pace steady, the men behind me falling ever so slightly farther behind with every step. Maybe they realized they had scared me and were sorry. Considering they were Brian's friends, I seriously doubted that. I saw two cars going north pass the intersection I was heading for; and I exhaled in relief. There would be more people around once I got off this deserted street. I trotted around the corner with a grateful sigh.

And skidded to a stop.

The street was lined on both sides by blank, doorless, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections down, streetlamps, cars and more pedestrians, but they were all too far away. Because lounging against the western building, midway down the street, were the other two men from the group, both watching with excited smiles as I froze dead on the sidewalk. I realized then that I wasn't being followed.

I was being herded.

I paused for only a second, but it felt like a very long time. I turned then and darted to the other side of the road. I had a sinking feeling that it was a wasted attempt. The footsteps behind me were louder now.

"There you are!" The booming voice of legitimately creepy Brian shattered the intense quiet and made me jump. In the gathering darkness, it seemed like he was looking past me.

"Boo, here we are," a voice called loudly from behind me, making me jump again as I tried to hurry down the street. "Just took a little detour."

My steps had to slow now. I was closing the distance between myself and the lounging pair too quickly. I had a cop for a father; Brian knew this... was he really this stupid? To corner the son of the Chief of Police? Even as a joke, he was playing with fire. With a quick movement I cracked my knuckles in my sleeves, drawing in a deep breath as I reluctantly strode forward. Being who we were, Scott had been sure both Jordan and I knew some form of self defense. I just wish I could remember more of it... having not needed it before, I'd kind of let myself get rusty. I swore to change that, if I got through this.

The thickset man shrugged away from the wall as I warily came to a stop; and Brian swaggered towards me with a cocky grin.

"Fuck off, Brian," I warned in a voice that was supposed to sound strong and fearless. My throat was dry however, so there was little volume and a disturbing crack to my voice. "This is insanely dumb, even for you... you might be drunk as hell, but that won't even count as a hint of defense when the Chief gets hold of you."

"Not that drunk, babe," Brian called brazenly as the raucous laughter started again behind me. "I can still see your sexy ass perfectly."

I'd always prided myself on the fact I'd never been in many fights, but Brian seemed to awake every violent nature I had never even known I had. I sensed the end of my pacifist days, rapidly approaching.

Max snickered, "Speaking of which..."

I braced myself, feet apart, trying to remember through my irritation that little self-defense Scott had taught us as his sons.

Heel of the hand thrust upward; hopefully breaking the nose or shoving it into the brain.

Finger through the eye socket; try to hook around and pop the eye out.

Plus, of course, the standard knee to the groin.

That same pessimistic voice in my mind spoke up then, reminding me that I probably wouldn't have a chance against one of them; and there were four. Shut up! I commanded the voice before it could incapacitate me. I was brave enough to want to hang around; and demand answers of, someone I believed was a supernatural being of myth and legend, who I had no doubt could snap me like a twig if he so desired. I wasn't about to let these creeps and perverts take me down; without taking some of them down with me. I tried to swallow, attempting to build up a decent battle roar.

"Haha, lookit shorty.. ." one of the unknown's sneered, as I raised my fists how Scott had taught me, bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of my feet, as I glanced around and tried to formulate a battle plan.

"Feisty." Another agreed, as Brian leered and stepped closer, reaching out toward my shoulder as if to comfort a scared child. I was interested in any 'comfort' Brian could offer.

I hesitated just long enough for Brian to step into my personal space, his eyes flashing with victory as he foolishly lowered his eyes to rake them over me. "Sorry, closed for service." I scoffed, twisting my shoulder out of his reach and drawing back my fist, slamming it into Brian's jaw as hard as I could with a grimace.

Brian grunted in surprise, rocking back as I immediately ducked out of the way of the guy behind me who had tried to grab and restrain me, scowling around the group as I waited tensely for the next attempt.

I knew there would be a next attempt.

This time it was an unknown, college dropout, or so I assumed they were. I grit my teeth and waited, backing away as much as I was able to without getting too close to any of the others. He flashed a toothy grin, then lunged for me as I grimaced with disgust. I barely managed to slip out of the way of his wide arms, kicking him in the ass as he stumbled past me and sending him into two of his dirty friends.

"This is a really bad idea, idiots." I drawled, hoping I sounded more confident than I really was in my abilities to fend them off. I didn't dare wonder at the fact I'd managed to evade capture twice already; knowing if I lost my focus now, I was done for.

When three guys came at me at once, I had a feeling I was done for anyway. I dodged one with some nifty footwork that I knew I would be in awe of later, but the second guy caught hold of my wrist as I passed. I reversed direction, pulling him off his feet in his surprise and swinging myself around, forcing him to release me as he collided with his friend. 

I rounded on the third one quickly, my fist missing his jaw and instead colliding with his shoulder, forcing him back a half a step, but otherwise doing little, as he continued to advanced. I was just re-positioning myself, trying to get some precious distance between us; when headlights suddenly flew around the corner, the car almost hitting the stocky one who had been pursuing me, forcing him to jump back toward the sidewalk. I dove into the road; this car was going to stop goddammit, or it would just have to hit me. I would sooner die by hit and run, than let any of these guys touch me. But the silver car unexpectedly fishtailed around, skidding to a stop with the passenger door open just a few feet from me.

"Move ya ass, Boy Scout," a furious, gruff voice commanded.

It was amazing how instantaneously the tension in my body vanished, amazing how suddenly the feeling of security washed over me. Even before I was off the street; as soon as I heard his voice, I felt safe. I jumped into the seat, slamming the door shut behind me.

It was dark in the car, no light had come on with the opening of the door; and I could barely see his face in the glow from the dashboard. The tires squealed as he spun around to face north, accelerating too quickly, swerving toward the stunned men on the street. I caught a glimpse of them diving for the sidewalk as we straightened out and sped toward the harbor. I laughed giddily and flopped back in the seat, relieved and finally able to enjoy the glowing sense of self pride I felt. Scott would be proud... Or have a police detail on me twenty-four-seven.

Yeah, maybe not telling him would be better.

Still, I had defended myself. I purposely avoided the thought of how much longer I could have continued to do so, instead planning to see if the college had any self defence courses on offer.

"Put ya damn seat belt on," Jake groused, and I realized I was lounging in the seat with both hands trembling as they rest over my stomach.

I quickly obeyed; the snap as the belt connected was loud in the darkness. He took a sharp left, racing forward, blowing through several stop signs without a pause.

Despite his reckless speed, I felt utterly safe; and for the moment, totally unconcerned about where we were going. I stared at his face in profound relief; relief that went beyond my sudden deliverance. I studied his flawless features in the limited light, waiting for my breath to return to normal, until it occurred to me that his expression was murderously angry.

"Are you okay?" I asked, surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded.

"Not a goddamn bit," he said curtly; and his tone was livid.

I sat in silence, watching his face while his blazing gold eyes stared straight ahead, until the car came to a sudden stop. I glanced around, but it was too dark to see anything besides the vague outline of dark trees crowding the roadside. We weren't in town anymore, that much was clear.

"Taylor?" He asked, his voice tight, controlled.

"Yeah?" My voice was still rough. I tried to clear my throat quietly.

"Ya alright?" He still didn't look at me, but the fury was plain on his face.

"Yeah," I croaked softly.

"Distract me." He ordered.

"What?" My self pride high was fading fast, irritation prickling beneath my skin at his attitude. "What do you want me to do exactly, start singing nursery rhymes?" I snarked.

He exhaled sharply. "Just prattle 'bout some stupid, meaningless shit 'til I calm the fuck down," he clarified, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Um." I bit my lip guiltily. He had saved me in the end, I guess. Again. With a quick sigh, I forced the frustration aside and wracked my brain for something trivial. "My brother is a giant asshole?"

"Ya sure ya tryin' to distract me, Boy Scout? 'Cause ya failin', badly."

I huffed indignantly. How the hell was I supposed to guess what the stupid vampire wanted from me? "Hey, it's just off the top of my head, McKenzie. _You_ try thinking of something suitable; and I'll be a giant jerk about it." I bit out roughly, scowling at the irritating man. _"_And besides which, I'm allowed to call my brother an asshole; it's practically my damn job... even if it's _not _for the same reason." I added defensively. As annoying as he was, I would never equate Jordan to some lowlife scum of the earth, or Brian, even for an insult. "He has a boyfriend; and I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty that he has his own idea of the word, in regards to my brother. Though, he's a decent guy and never actually outright referred to Jordan that way, not that I know of, anyway... speaking of which, I really wish I wasn't so curious last summer to go through his diary. I know more about Michael that I _ever _needed to _know_, never mind wanted to. Really, at the time, it pissed me off to no end; since _I'm_ the older twin, and scatterbrained _Jordan_ gets laid first? I mean, sure, he's more interesting than me but..." I babbled on.

"Naw, I can tell ya a hundred percent, Boy Scout, no one can be more interesting than _you."_ Jake sounded a bit more composed, enough at least to smirk while he continued to search the back of his eyelids. "At least, to me."

I feel myself flush and I just know that my face is as red as my hair now. I'm glad he has his stupid eyes closed.

"I, I—"

"Cat got ya tongue?"

I scowl, "Shut up! I'm supposed to be distracting you, not the other way around!"

"Ya doin' a piss poor job of it." Jake snorted, though I'm certain he sounds like he's enjoying himself.

"Fine!" I bite out irritably, running my hand through my hair as I look around the car briefly and then turn back to the infuriating man in the driver's seat. "I'm going to run over Caleb Mitchell tomorrow before school? How's _that _for distracting, you jackass?"

Jake was still squeezing his eyes closed, but the corner of his mouth twitched with obvious amusement. "Why?" He asked, ignoring my snide remarks entirely.

"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to end of year ball. Either he's insane or he's still trying to make up for almost killing me last... well, you remember it." I groused, once more distracted myself as I regale Jake with the irritating information I discovered while helping the girls pick their clothes for the spring dance. "And he thinks _lying_ is somehow the correct way to do this. So I figure if I endanger his life, then we're even; and he can't keep trying to make amends. I don't need enemies and maybe Kara would back off if he left me alone. I might have to total his shiny Volvo rental, though. If he doesn't have a ride he can't take anyone to the ball..." I babbled on.

"Heard 'bout that." He sounded a bit more composed.

"You did?" I asked in disbelief, my previous irritation returning full swing. "If he's paralyzed from the neck down, he can't go to the end of year ball, either," I muttered, refining my plan.

Jake chuckled, and finally opened his eyes. They were a crystal clear, cerulean blue again. "So, ya find me distracting, huh?"

"Very." I sighed, not even bothering to hide it. I can feel myself relaxing further into the seat as Jake runs his eyes over me, my face warming at the realization he's making sure I wasn't injured. I scrutinized his expression in return. "Better?" I murmur softly.

"Not really." I waited, but he didn't speak again. He leaned his head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling of the car. His face was rigid.

"What's wrong?" My voice came out in a whisper.

"Sometimes I gotta problem with my temper, Boy Scout." He was whispering, too; and as he stared out the window, his eyes narrowed into slits. "If ya knew the kinda shit they were thinkin', if ya _ saw _ what they were plannin'... But it ain't helpful for me to turn 'round and hunt 'em down..." He didn't finish his sentence, looking away, struggling for a moment to control his anger again.

I shuddered, "I think I have a pretty good idea." I said quietly. 

"At least," he continued, as if I hadn't spoken. "That's what I'm tryin' to tell myself."

"Oh." The word seemed inadequate, but I couldn't think of a better response.

We sat in silence again. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was past six thirty.

"Zoe and Cameron will be worried," I murmured. "I was supposed to meet them."

He started the engine without another word, turning around smoothly and speeding back toward town. We were under the streetlights in no time at all, still going too fast, weaving with ease through the cars slowly cruising the boardwalk. He parallel parked against the curb in a space I would have thought much too small for the Audi, but he slid in effortlessly in one try. I looked out the window to see the lights of Moxxi's Bar and Grill; and Zoe and Cameron just leaving, pacing anxiously away from us.

"How did you know where... ?" I began, but then I just shook my head. I heard the door open and turned to see him getting out. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Takin' ya to dinner." Jake smiled slightly, but his eyes were still hard. He stepped out of the car and slammed the door.

I frowned and fumbled briefly with my seat belt, then hurried to get out of the car as well. He was waiting for me on the sidewalk.

He spoke before I could. "Hurry up and go stop ya friends, before I have to track 'em down too. Don't think I can restrain myself if I run into ya other _ friends _ again."

I narrowed my eyes at him, ready to snap back for his snark, but instead I shivered at the threat in his voice.

"Zoe! Cam!" I yelled after them, waving when they turned. They rushed back to me, the pronounced relief on both their faces simultaneously changing to surprise as they saw who I was standing next to.

They hesitated a few feet from us.

"Where have you been?" Zoe's voice was suspicious.

"I got lost," I admitted sheepishly. "And then I… ran into Jake." I gestured toward him.

"Alright if I join ya?" he asked in his silken, irresistible voice, so smooth compared to his usual gruff tone. I rolled my eyes discreetly, despite the shiver of fascination. It was the proof I'd been seeking for two days now, after all. I could see from their staggered expressions that he had never unleashed his talents on them before.

"Er... sure," Zoe breathed.

"Um, actually, Taylor, we already ate while we were waiting... sorry," Cameron confessed.

"That's fine. I'm not hungry." I shrugged.

"Ya oughta eat somethin'." Jake's voice was low, but full of authority. He looked up at Zoe and spoke slightly louder. "D'ya mind if I drive Taylor home tonight? That way ya won't have to wait while he eats."

"Uh, no problem, I guess..." She bit her lip, trying to figure out from my expression whether that was what I wanted.

I decided to make it obvious. I grinned and waved my eyebrows; and to really seal the deal, I winked at her. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my perpetual savior; and I did not want there to be any doubt of that. There were so many questions that I couldn't bombard him with till we were by ourselves.

"Okay." Cameron was quicker than Zoe. "See you tomorrow, Taylor... Jake." They grabbed Zoe's hand and pulled her toward the car, which I could see a little ways away, parked across Pattinson Street.

As they got in, Zoe turned and waved, her face eager with curiosity. I waved back, waiting for them to drive away before I turned to face him.

"Honestly, I'm not hungry," I insisted, looking up to scrutinize his face. His expression was unreadable.

"Tough."

He walked to the door of the restaurant and held it open with an obstinate expression. Obviously, there would be no further discussion. I walked past him into the restaurant with a resigned sigh, though my lips twitched with amusement.

The restaurant wasn't crowded; it was the off season in Port Royale. The host was female, and I understood the look in her eyes as she assessed Jake. She welcomed him a little more warmly than necessary. I had to remind myself I had no right to be pissed and jealous about that. We're not dating...

The reminder didn't change a damn thing.

She was several inches taller than I was, and unnaturally blond. That always stings more than it should. I mean, I was used to some girls being taller than me, I really was. It's still annoying though.

"Table for two?" His rough voice was alluring, whether he was aiming for that or not.

I saw her eyes flicker to me and then away, satisfied by the cautious, no-contact space Jake kept between us. As well as my apparent gender and obvious ordinariness, I suspect, in case she was considering the possibility that Jake swung both ways. Not usual for two guys to be out at night, and not drinking at a bar, unless they were something more. And damn, how the mere idea creates butterflies in my stomach.

She led us to a table big enough for four in the center of the most crowded area of the dining floor.

I was about to sit, but Jake shook his head at me. "Somethin' more private?" he insisted quietly to the host.

I wasn't sure, but it looked like he smoothly handed her a tip. I'd never seen anyone refuse a table except in old movies.

"Sure." She sounded as surprised as I was. She turned and led us around a partition to a small ring of booths; all of them empty. "How's this?"

"Perfect." He flashed his gleaming smile, dazing her momentarily.

"Um," she shook her head, blinking and half turning away. "Your server will be right out." She walked away unsteadily.

"You really shouldn't do that to people," I criticized, rolling my eyes as I took a seat. "It's hardly fair."

Jake turned towards me, his brow furrowing as he took the seat opposite me. "Do what?"

"Dazzle them like that." I said, leaning back in my seat and drumming my fingernails on the table, peeking up at him from beneath my lashes. "She's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now."

He seemed confused. I wasn't buying it.

"Oh, come on," I scoffed, grinning as Jake fidgeted awkwardly. "You obviously know the effect you have on people."

He tilted his head to one side; and his eyes were curious. "Ya sayin'... I dazzle people?"

"Oh no... no, no." I snickered, waggling my finger as if scolding a naughty child. "There is absolutely, no fucking way you're getting me to believe you don't know." I huffed, almost indignantly. "Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?"

He ignored my grousing. "... I dazzle _you?"_

"Hey, I already admitted you distract me, don't push your luck," I scowled. I wondered distantly who this strong, capable and _flirty_ person was. What the hell was I doing?

"That a yes?"

I didn't dignify the question with a response.

And then our server arrived, her face expectant. The hostess had definitely dished behind the scenes; and this new girl didn't look disappointed. She flipped a strand of short black hair behind one ear and smiled with unnecessary warmth.

"Hello. My name is Amber... and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?"

I didn't miss that she was speaking only to him. He looked at me. "I'll have a... beer." It sounded like a question.

"Two beers," he said.

"I'll be right back with that," she assured him with another unnecessary smile. But he didn't see it. He was watching me.

I did my best not to look smug about that, but I wasn't very in control of myself it seemed, because I knew I was practically glowing. What a pity.

"What?" I asked when she left.

His eyes stayed fixed on my face. "How're ya feelin'?"

"Uh... fine?" I replied, suddenly self conscious again, surprised by his intensity.

"Ya ain't feelin' dizzy, sick, cold... ?"

"Should I?"

He chuckled at my puzzled tone.

"I'm kinda waiting for ya to go into shock." His face twisted up into that perfect crooked smile. My breath caught.

"I don't think that will happen," I said after I could breathe again. "I've always been very good at repressing unpleasant things."

"I'll jus'... feel better when ya got some food and sugar in ya."

It's not what I want in me, but it's a start. I'm positive the thought must have turned me bright red, but luckily, Jake doesn't get a chance to comment.

Right on cue, the waitress appeared with our drinks and a basket of bread sticks. She stood with her back to me as she placed them on the table. "Are you ready to order?" she asked Jake, flipping her hair timely while standing straight and emphasising her bosom; trying to draw attention to it. Even being partial to men, I could see it was a decent bust.

I looked at Jake to check his reaction, but he was still staring at me. My heart did a little flip at that discovery.

"Boy Scout?" he asked.

She turned unwillingly toward me.

I was about to pick the first thing I saw on the menu, but I paused and glanced guiltily at the waitress. "Um... could you tell me if there's garlic in the Spaghetti?" I asked, wincing at her blatant look of disbelief.

"What?" She asked, blinking as she seemed to mentally shake herself out of her momentary shock. "I mean, uh... I'm pretty sure it's oka—"

"Better check if ya ain't certain." Jake interrupted, his eyes running over me in obvious, intense curiosity. "Usually if folk ask, it's 'cause they're allergic." He guessed, as I tried to pretend I didn't notice my burning cheeks.

"Oh, well... I can—"

"It's fine," I mumbled, wishing it this whole awful scene would just go away. "I'll just have a grilled chicken salad, please. Extra spinach, extra cucumber? No dressing. Thanks."

The girl jotted the order dismissively, turning her back to fully face Jake again. "And you?" She asked him with a smile.

"Nothin'," he said.

I rolled my eyes; of course not.

"Let me know if you change your mind." The coy smile was still in place, but Jake wasn't even looking at her, and she left dissatisfied.

"Drink," he ordered.

I sipped at my beer obediently; and then drank more deeply, surprised by how thirsty I was. I realized I'd finished the whole thing when he pushed his bottle toward me. Considering what I went through, I guess I could see why Jake insisted I'd getting something in me.

"Thanks," I muttered, still thirsty. The cold from the icy beer was radiating through my chest, and I shivered.

"Ya cold?"

"It's just the beer," I explained, shivering again.

"Ain't ya got any damn layers? A jacket?" His voice was disapproving. "Cedar Cove ain't exactly scorchin'."

"Yeah, I—" I looked at the empty bench next to me. "Oh; I left it in Zoe's car," I realized.

Jake was shrugging out of his green jacket. I suddenly realized that I had never once noticed what he was wearing; except my first day. I realized, to my chagrin, that after our first conversation, I could never look anywhere else apart from his face. Oh god, I hope he hadn't noticed. I made myself look now, focusing. While he was wearing a green jacket, I realize it wasn't the same type as the on the first day. Again, I'm embarrassed I remembered that much. As opposed to that dirty-green jacket, this one looked more forest green and had a collar that, if it had been zipped up, would've covered his entire neck as well; underneath he wore an obsidian turtleneck sweater. It fit him snugly, emphasizing how muscular his chest was.

He handed me the jacket, interrupting my ogling.

"Thanks," I said again, sliding my arms into his jacket.

It was cold; the way my jacket felt when I first picked it up in the morning, hanging in the drafty hallway. I shivered again. It smelled amazing. I inhaled, trying to identify the delicious scent. It didn't smell like cologne. The sleeves were much too long; I shoved them back so I could free my hands. Jake caught me, of course. I was surprised; I looked down, my cheeks flushing with warmth. Jake snickered, but had mercy on me and didn't comment. I didn't know whether to be grateful or not. He pushed the bread basket toward me.

"Really, I'm _not_ going into shock," I protested.

"Ya oughta be; a normal person would be, after goin' through what ya just did." He said, still checking me over as I huffed and rolled my eyes, grabbing a bread stick and nibbling at the end. "Ya don't even look shaken." He seemed unsettled. He stared into my eyes, and I saw how light his eyes were, lighter than I'd ever seen them, a clear crystal blue.

"Blame the company," I quipped, mesmerized into telling the truth again. "I feel very safe with you."

That displeased him; his alabaster brow furrowed. He shook his head, frowning. "This is more complicated than I figured," he murmured to himself.

I twirled my bread stick between my lips, no longer very interested in it as I peered over at him, measuring his expression. I wondered when it would be okay to start questioning him. I decided to probe cautiously, before my earlier bravery evaporated entirely; it was now or never. "Usually you're in a better mood when your eyes are so blue," I commented lightly, trying to distract him from whatever thought had left him frowning and somber.

He stared at me, stunned. "What?"

"You're always crabbier when your eyes are black; and when you're usually either furious or... ya know, _exerting yourself_," I drawled pointedly, knowing from the way his eyes narrowed that he knew I was referencing that day he'd saved my life. "Then they're golden... it just makes it easier to decide how to approach you," I went on. "I have a theory about that."

His eyes narrowed. "More theories?"

"Mm-hm." I chewed on a small bite of the bread, trying to look indifferent.

"Hope ya got somethin' more creative. Ya still stealin' from comic books?" His faint smile was mocking; his eyes were still tight. "Radioactive spider this time?"

"Well, no... and I didn't get it from a comic book, which you said you wouldn't make fun off." I huffed, "still, I didn't come up with it... _entirely_ on my own, either,"

"And?" he prompted.

But then the waitress strode around the partition with my food. I realized we'd been unconsciously leaning toward each other across the table, because we both straightened up as she approached. She set the dish in front of me; it looked pretty good, and turned quickly to Jake.

"Did you change your mind?" she asked. "Isn't there... anything, I can get you?"

I may have been imagining the double meaning in her words, but I'm ninety seven percent sure I wasn't. Then there was that very intentional hair flip again, from chest to back, with a twirl to a long ebony strand in front of her face. Something's telling me this isn't her first time trying to seduce patrons. I wonder if her boss knows, and consider briefly whether I'm feeling spiteful enough to complain about their low standard of service.

"Nah but we'll have a Coke." He gestured with a long white hand to the empty bottles of beer in front of me. My face flushes and my heart flutters, when he does so without even looking at her. He cocks his head slightly, and I clear my throat to keep from hyperventilating at the curiosity burning in his clear eyes.

"Sure." She removed the empty glasses and walked away.

"Ya were sayin'?" he asked.

"Are you cutting me off from the bar?" I asked with some amusement, picking up a fork and spearing some spinach and cucumber.

"I'd rather ya not get wasted and pass out on me just yet." Jake countered, his lip twitching faintly. "C'mon, Boy Scout—"

"How did you know I was a Boy Scout?" I interrupted with a frown, remembering that I hadn't told anyone since arriving in Cedar Cove; and finally having the opportunity to ask.

Jake paused, his lips twitching into a full grin. "Ya were?" He asked, as I flushed and kept my eyes on my salad. "Heh, whaddaya know... I'll tell ya later, if ya get on with tellin' me this damn theory ya got."

I frowned, knowing this was going to be the best offer I got. "I'll tell you about it in the car. If..." I paused.

"Are ya givin' me conditions?" He raised one eyebrow, his voice ominous.

"Well I mean... I do have a few questions, of course."

"Course ya bloody do." Jake grumbled, sighing as he rolled his eyes.

The waitress was back with my non alcoholic beverage. She sat it down without a word this time, and left again. I may have been more smug about her clear irritation than I really had a right to be.

I took a sip.

"Well, go on then," he pushed, his voice amusingly petulant.

I started with the most undemanding. Or so I thought. "Why are you in Port Royale?"

He looked down, folding his large hands together slowly on the table. His eyes flickered up at me from under his lashes, the hint of a smirk on his face.

"Next."

"But that's the easiest one," I objected.

"Next," he repeated.

I looked down, frustrated. I unrolled my napkin, laying under my glass to sop it sticking to the table. I poked at my salad with less enthusiasm than before, still looking down, occasionally nibbling on a piece of grilled chicken while I thought. I swallowed and took another sip of my enforced Coke before I looked up.

"Okay, then." I glared at him, deciding that if Jake didn't have to play nice, I didn't either. I continued slowly. "Let's say, hypothetically of course, that _someone..._ could know what people are thinking, read minds, you know; with a few exceptions."

"Just one exception," he corrected sourly.

"All right, with one exception, then." I was thrilled that he was playing along, but I tried to seem casual. "How does that work? What are the limitations? How would... that someone... find someone else at exactly the right time? How would he know he was in trouble?" I wondered if my convoluted questions even made sense.

"Hypothetically?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Well, if that idiot..."

"Let's call him 'Lawrence,'" I suggested.

He smirked; and the movement of his eyes rolling was so quick, I might've imagined it. "Lawrence, huh? Alright, if _Lawrence'_d been payin' bloody attention, the timin' wouldnt've needed to be so damn perfect." He shook his head, and I had a feeling he had definitely been rolling his eyes earlier. "Only _you_ could get in bloody trouble in a town this damn small. Ya would've decimated Cedar Cove's crime rate statistics the past decade, ya know. I figured that's why ya Pa took up being a cop."

"We were speaking of a hypothetical case," I reminded him frostily.

He laughed at me, his blue eyes glittering and warm. "Yeah, guess we were," Jake agreed. "Lawrence, weren't it?" His eyes glittered with amusement at our banter, though I mostly suspect it's at my childish behaviour. I can't bring myself to care at the moment though.

"How _did_ you know?" I asked, unable to curb my intensity. So I ignore the mention of my horrendous name for now.

I realized I was leaning toward him again.

He seemed to be wavering, torn by some internal dilemma. His eyes locked with mine, and I guessed he was making the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth.

"You _can_ trust me, you know," I murmured. I reached forward, without thinking, to touch his folded hands, but he slid them away minutely; and I pulled my hand back with a bitter sting of rejection in my heart. I quickly lowered my eyes to my unappealing salad.

"Dunno if I've got a choice anymore." His voice was almost a whisper. "I was wrong; ya way more observant than guessed."

"You gave me close to no credit." I snorted, still staring morosely at my food. "Of course you were gonna be wrong."

"Ain't used to that." He shook his head again. "Was wrong 'bout ya on one other thing, as well. Ya ain't magnet for accidents; ain't a broad enough label. Ya're a goddamn magnet for _trouble._ If there is anythin' dangerous within a ten block radius, it's gonna damn well find ya."

"And you put yourself into that category?" I guessed, slowly lifting my eyes to Jake's face, the bitter sting in my chest fading as it fizzled with suspicion.

His face turned cold, expressionless. "No shit."

My suspicion was confirmed. I nodded slowly, considering as I briefly flicked a piece of spinach across my chicken. Finally I lowered my fork, looking over at Jake with a determination I wasn't sure I had ever felt before. What was it about him that turned me into such a confident being? Despite knowing what he would do, I stretched my hand across the table again; ignoring him when he pulled back slightly once more, to touch the back of his hand shyly with my fingertips. His skin was cold and hard, like a stone.

"Thank you." My voice was fervent with gratitude. "That's twice now."

He grimaced, but then his face softened. "Let's not try a third, yeah?"

I scowled, but nodded. He moved his hand out from under mine, gently this time, before placing both of them under the table; safe from my advances. But he leaned toward me.

"I followed ya," he admitted, speaking in a rush. "I ain't ever tried to keep anyone alive before, and it's way more hassle than I would've thought. But, that's probably just 'cause it's _you._ Most ordinary folk seem to make it through a day without so many damn catastrophes." He paused.

I wondered if it should bother me that he was following me; instead I felt a strange surge of pleasure. He stared, maybe wondering why my lips were curving into an involuntary smile. "Did you ever think that maybe my number was up the first time, with the van, and that you've been interfering with fate?" I speculated, trying and failing miserably at distracting myself from the rush of endorphins which made me giddy. Jake McKenzie followed _me._

"That weren't the first time," he said, and his voice was hard to hear. I stared at him in amazement, but he was looking down. "Ya number was up the first time I met ya."

I felt a spasm of fear at his words, and the abrupt memory of his violent black glare that first day... but the overwhelming sense of safety I felt in his presence stifled it. By the time he looked up to read my eyes, there was no trace of fear in them.

"Ya remember?" he asked, his angel's face grave.

"Yes." I was calm.

"And yet here ya are." There was a trace of disbelief in his voice; he raised one eyebrow.

"Yes, here I am... because of _you."_ I paused. "Because you saved me from a speeding van; and because, _somehow_ you knew how to find me today... ?" I prompted.

He pressed his lips together, staring at me through narrowed eyes, deciding again. His eyes flashed down to my full plate, and then back to me.

_"You_ eat, _I'll_ talk," he bargained.

I grinned and winked. I could handle that bargain. I quickly scooped up a fork of spinach and chicken; and popped it in my mouth.

"It's... harder than it oughta be; keepin' track of ya. Normally, I could find anyone easily, so long's I heard their mind before." He looked at me anxiously, and I realized I had frozen.

I made myself swallow, then stabbed another piece of cucumber and tossed it in.

"I was keepin' tabs on Leon, not carefully; I mean, I try to stay outta that girl's head, if I can avoid it." Jake grimaced while I snickered, shaking my head at his distaste. "Like I said, only _you_ could find trouble in Port Royale... At first I didn't notice when ya took off on ya own. Then, when I realized that ya weren't with her anymore, I went looking for ya at the bookstore I saw in her head. Could tell ya hadn't gone in though, and that you'd wandered off south... and I knew ya'd have to turn 'round soon. So, I was waitin' for ya, randomly searching through thoughts of folk on the street; to see if anyone saw ya..."

I was touched by the gesture, but unable to pinpoint why. I wondered why I wasn't more disturbed to have this man, potentially a vampire who could apparently hear people's inner most thoughts; as a personal, un-dead stalker. No matter how hard I tried though, all I could be certain of; was that it was incredibly endearing to have had the man be so concerned about me. I may have internally flustered and preened.

"Just, so I'd know where ya were." Jake continued, as if to reassure me; apparently concerned he'd upset me. I smiled, hoping I hadn't been pulling any weird, vacant expressions as I stared at him. "I shouldnt've been so bloody bothered... but I was stressin'." He admitted as he trailed off. I realised he was lost in thought, staring past me, seeing things I couldn't imagine. "I started drivin' in circles, still... listenin'. Sun was settin'... and I was 'bout to give up and get out, just follow ya on foot. And then—" He stopped, clenching his teeth together in sudden fury. He made an effort to calm himself.

"Then what?" I whispered, though I had a suspicion. He continued to stare over my head.

"I heard what they were thinkin'," he growled, his upper lip curling slightly back over his teeth. "I saw ya face in his head." He suddenly leaned forward, one elbow appearing on the table, his hand covering his eyes.

The movement was so swift it startled me.

"Was... hard. Ya can't imagine _how_ hard; for me to simply take ya away and leave 'em... alive." His voice was muffled by his arm. "I could've let ya go with Leon and Levy, but I was honestly kinda freakin' out that if ya left me alone, Id've gone lookin' for 'em," he admitted in a whisper. "It's gonna take a whole lotta self control not to murder that sleaze the moment I see him on campus tomorrow."

I sat quietly, dazed, my thoughts incoherent. My hands were folded in my lap, and I was leaning weakly against the back of the seat. He still had his face in his hand, and he was as still as if he'd been carved from the stone his skin resembled. Finally he looked up, his eyes seeking mine, full of his own questions.

"Ya ready to head home?" he asked.

"I'm ready to leave," I qualified, overly grateful that we had the hour long ride home together. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to him. I felt heat gather in my cheeks as I admitted in a private corner of my heart; I wasn't sure that I ever would be.

The waitress appeared as if she'd been called. Or watching.

"How are we doing?" she asked Jake.

"Check, thanks." His voice was quiet, rougher, still reflecting the strain of our conversation. It seemed to muddle her. He looked up, waiting.

"S-sure," she stuttered. "Here you go." She pulled a small leather folder from the front pocket of her black apron and handed it to him.

There was a bill in his hand already. He slipped it into the folder and handed it right back to her. "Keep the change." He drawled thickly. Then he stood up, and I scrambled awkwardly to my feet.

She smiled invitingly at him again. "You have a nice evening."

He never looked away from me as he thanked her. I fought to suppress a smug grin towards her. I failed.

He walked close beside me to the door, though he was still careful not to touch me. I remembered what Zoe had said about her relationship with Brian, how they were almost to the first-kiss stage. I sighed, wishing nothing more but to drive a wedge between them now. She definitely deserved better. Jake seemed to hear me, and he looked down curiously. I looked at the sidewalk, grateful that he didn't seem to be able to know what I was thinking.

He opened the passenger door, holding it for me as I stepped in, shutting it softly behind me. I watched him walk around the front of the car, amazed, yet again, by how graceful he was. I probably should have been used to that by now; but I wasn't. I had a feeling Jake wasn't the kind of person anyone got used to.

Once inside the car, he started the engine and turned the heater on high. It had gotten very cold, and I guessed the good weather was at an end. I was warm in his jacket, though, breathing in the scent of it when I thought he couldn't see. Savouring it fondly in my memory.

Jake pulled out through the traffic, apparently without a glance, flipping around to head toward the freeway.

"Now," he said significantly, "it's _your_ turn."


	9. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey one, hey all <3
> 
> There's been so much love going into this - there really has. It takes more effort than I can say to keep waiting a whole day, rather than just post everything as soon as its ready...
> 
> I hope you'll forgive us the wait ; )
> 
> Thankyou so much for reading so far and all the support we have received has been amazing
> 
> Hope you enjoy
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Revelations**

"Can I ask just one more?" I pleaded as Jake accelerated much too quickly down the quiet street. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to the road.

He sighed. "One," he agreed. His lips pressed together into a cautious line.

"Well... you said you knew I hadn't gone into the bookstore, and that I had gone south. I was just wondering how you knew that."

He looked away, deliberating.

"I thought we were past all the evasiveness," I grumbled.

He almost smiled.

"Fine, then. Followed ya scent." He looked at the road, giving me time to compose my face.

I couldn't think of an acceptable response to that, but I filed it carefully away for future study. I'd like to ask what I smelled like to him, but got the feeling he wouldn't answer it. I tried to refocus. I wasn't ready to let him be finished, now that he was finally explaining things.

"And then you didn't answer one of my first questions..." I stalled.

He looked at me with disapproval. "Which one?"

"How does it work; the mind-reading thing? Can you read anybody's mind, anywhere? How do you do it? Can the rest of your family... ?" I felt silly, asking for clarification on make believe.

"That's more'n one," he pointed out.

I simply intertwined my fingers and smiled as I gazed at him, waiting.

"It's just me. I can't hear anyone, anywhere. I gotta be fairly close. The more familiar someone's... 'voice' is, the farther away I can hear 'em. But still, no more'n a few miles." He paused thoughtfully. "It's kinda like bein' in a huge hall filled with folk, everyone talkin' at once? It's just a hum; a buzzin' of voices in the background. Until I focus on one, and then what they're thinkin' comes clear."

I blinked, fascinated. How long must it have taken him to understand, to hone something which must have been so confusing and frightening?

"Most of the time I tune it out. It's normally pretty annoyin'. Plus, then it's easier to seem, ya know... normal." He frowned as he said the word. "When I ain't accidentally answerin' someone's thoughts rather than their words."

"Why do you think you can't hear me?" I asked curiously.

He looked at me, his eyes enigmatic.

"I dunno," he murmured. "Only thing I can think is maybe ya mind don't work the same way the rest of 'em do. Like, ya thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only gettin' FM." He grinned at me, suddenly amused.

I was, on the other hand, a bit stunned. I felt like I had the same thought in the past. But if he couldn't really read me... "So, you're sure my mind is inaccessible to you?" I double checked, taking a moment to wonder what he'd look like without his shirt on. He gave no reaction and I smirked, pleased to know I would be able to keep my dirty thoughts about him to myself; if I had any. If I could just control my blushing. My grin faded as I considered the rest of what he'd said, frowning over at him uncertainly. "Does that make me a freak?"

The words bothered me more than they should; probably because his speculation hit home. I'd always suspected as much, and it embarrassed me to have it confirmed. Maybe that's why it had always been easier for Jordan to fit in more than me.

"I hear voices in my mind and ya worried that _you're_ the freak," he laughed. "Nah, it's just a theory..." His face tightened. "Which brings us back to _you."_

I sighed. How to begin?

"Ain't we past all the evasive shit by now?" he reminded me softly.

I looked away from his face for the first time, trying to find words. I happened to notice the speedometer.

"Holy shit!" I shouted. "Slow the fuck down!"

"Huh?" He was startled. But the car didn't decelerate.

"You're going a hundred freakin' miles an hour!" I was still shouting.

I shot a panicky glance out the window, but it was too dark to see much. The road was only visible in the long patch of bluish brightness from the headlights. The forest along both sides of the road was like a black wall; as hard as a wall of steel if we veered off the road at this speed.

"Relax, Boy Scout." He rolled his eyes, still not slowing.

"When you're trying to kill us?!" I demanded.

"Taylor, ya an idiot. Been tryin' to tell ya I could kill ya _without_ goddamn tryin'" Jake snorted, "And we ain't gonna crash."

I tried to modulate my voice. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"This ain't a hurry." He turned to smile crookedly at me, accelerating even more, bordering a hundred and forty. "This is... besides, I always drive like this."

"Keep your eyes on the bloody road!"

"I ain't ever had a accident, Taylor; I ain't even got a ticket." He grinned and tapped his forehead. "Built-in radar."

"Very funny." I fumed. "Scott's a cop, remember? I was raised to abide by traffic laws."

"And ya a Boy Scout."

I had no idea why that amused him so much, but I wasn't exactly in the mood to ask and sate my curiosity right now. "Besides, if you turn us into an Audi pretzel around a tree trunk, _you_ can probably just walk away."

"Probably," he agreed with a short, hard laugh. "But... _you_ can't." He sighed, and I watched with relief as the needle gradually drifted toward eighty. "Happy?"

"Almost."

"I _hate_ drivin' slow," he muttered.

"This is slow?"

"Enough commentin' on my goddamn drivin'," he snapped. "I'm still waitin' for ya bloody theory."

I bit my lip. He looked down at me, his honey eyes unexpectedly gentle.

"I ain't gonna laugh," he promised.

"I'm more afraid that you'll be angry with me."

"'S that bad?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

He waited. I was looking down at my hands, so I couldn't see his expression. "Go ahead." His voice was calm.

"I don't know how to start," I admitted.

"Well, why don't ya start at the beginnin'..." he drawled sarcastically, his lips twitching at the un-amused scowl I shot in his direction. "Alright, look... ya said ya didn't come up with this on ya own."

"No."

"What got ya started, then? Book? Movie?" he probed.

"No... it was Saturday, at the beach." I risked a glance up at his face. He looked puzzled. "I ran into an old family friend... Diego Soto," I continued. "His dad and Scott have been friends since I was a baby."

He still looked confused.

"His dad... is one of the Taíno elders." I watched him carefully. His confused expression froze in place. "We went for a walk," I edited all my scheming out of the story, naturally. "... and he was telling me some old legends, trying to scare me, I think. He told me one..." I hesitated.

"Go on," he said.

"About what they called _cold ones_." I realized I was whispering. "But I knew what they meant..." I couldn't look at his face now, but I saw his knuckles tighten convulsively on the wheel. "... vampires."

"And ya immediately thought of me?" Still calm.

"No. He... mentioned your family." He was silent, staring at the road. I was worried suddenly, worried about protecting Diego. "He just thought it was a silly superstition," I said quickly. "He didn't expect me to think anything of it." It didn't seem like enough; I had to confess. "It was my fault, I forced him to tell me."

"Why?" His brow furrowed in confusion and he half flicked his eyes over me curiously, as if wondering whether I had used physical violence to get what I sought.

"Kara said something about you, she was trying to provoke me. And another guy from the reservation said your family didn't come to the reservation, only it sounded like he meant something different. So I got Diego alone and I uh, I kinda tricked it out of him." I admitted, hanging my head.

He startled me by laughing. I glared up at him. He was laughing, but his eyes were fierce, staring ahead. "Tricked him how?" he asked.

"Well, I mean, he _is _my best friend too; so technically he was just being a good pal..." I rambled, pretending not to notice my rapidly warming cheeks. "I uh, tried to flatter a lot, maybe a tiny bit of flirting; but like, not anything more than _best friend_ kinda... yeah, _ahem._ Anyway, it worked better than I thought it would." Disbelief colored my tone as I remembered.

"Huh, wish I'd seen that." He chuckled darkly. "And ya had the cheek to accuse me of dazzlin' people... poor Diego Soto."

I blushed and looked out my window into the night. "Well, knowing him, he was probably just humoring me... he isn't interested in me the same way as Bri—"

"A lil' warning, Boy Scout. Do _not _mention that name right now." I swallowed thickly at the sharp and abrupt interjection, "So, what'd ya do then?" he asked after a minute.

"I did some research on the Internet."

"And that convinced ya?" His voice sounded barely interested. But his hands were clamped hard onto the steering wheel.

"No. Nothing fit. Most of it was kind of silly. But then..." I stopped. My heart gave a lurch in my chest. I didn't want to say the words; I could already hear his furious reaction if I did. I bit my lip, aware he was staring at me.

"What?"

"I decided it didn't matter," I whispered.

"It didn't matter?" His tone made me look up; I had finally broken through his carefully composed mask. His face was incredulous, with just a hint of the anger I'd feared.

"No," I said softly. "It doesn't matter to me what you are."

A hard, mocking edge entered his voice. "Ya don't care if I'm a monster? If I ain't human?!"

"No." I said simply, meeting his incredulous gaze calmly and hoping my sincerity would calm him. Maybe please him? I mean, okay it was awkward as fuck but... this was still kinda me opening up and bearing my heart to him right now. 

He was silent, staring straight ahead again. His face was bleak and cold.

"You're angry," I sighed, my heart sinking as it thudded dully. "I told you that you would be. You shouldn't have made me say anything." I sniffed, gritting my teeth as irritation welled in me. Who the hell was he to judge what I felt or thought?

"No," he said, but his tone was as hard as his face. "I'd rather know what ya thinkin'; even if what ya thinkin' is insane."

"So I'm wrong again?" I challenged, scowling over at him irritably and despising the tell tale prickle I could feel in my eyes.

"That's ain't what I'm referrin' to. '_It don't matter'!"_ He quoted, gritting his teeth together as he spat the words through them.

"So then... I'm right?" I frowned. He was going to give me emotional whiplash again.

"_Does it matter_?" He scoffed, still staring ahead at the road in obvious disgust.

I took a deep breath. "No... you want me to be honest, then fine. It's never really mattered." I paused. "But I am curious." My voice, at least, was composed; even if I was an utter wreck emotionally.

He was suddenly resigned. "What're ya curious 'bout now?"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-six," he answered promptly.

"And how long have you _been_ twenty six?"

His lips twitched as he stared at the road. "A while," he admitted at last.

"Okay." I smiled, pleased that he was still being honest with me. He turned and stared down at me with watchful eyes, much as he had before, when he was worried I would go into shock. I smiled wider in encouragement; and he frowned.

"Don't laugh; but how can you come out during the daytime?"

He laughed anyway. I decided I preferred it rather than his being in a bad temper, so my pout was entirely playful.

"Myth."

"Burned by the sun?"

"Myth." Then, there was a tiny smirk on his mouth. "Is this why ya asked about the garlic earlier?"

My blush was entirely uncalled for, but I had no control over it. "That was a genuine allergy, mister. Don't think so little of me." I sneered haughtily.

"Ya shittin' me?" Jake asked, raisin' a brow as I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. Jake chuckled with amusement, shaking his head as I continued.

"Sleeping in coffins?"

"Myth." He hesitated for a moment, and a peculiar tone entered his voice. "We can't sleep."

It took me a minute to absorb that. "At all?"

"Nope," he said, his voice nearly inaudible. He turned to look at me with a wistful expression.

The cerulean eyes held mine; and I lost my train of thought. I stared at him until he looked away.

"Ya ain't asked the most important question yet, ya know." His voice was hard now, and when he looked at me again his eyes were cold. Shuttered to me.

I blinked, still dazed. "Uh... which one is that?"

"Ya ain't concerned 'bout my _diet?"_ he asked sarcastically.

"Oh," I murmured, "that."

"Yes, _that."_ His voice was bleak. "Don't ya wanna know if I drink blood?"

I flinched. "Well, Diego said something about that."

"What?" he asked flatly.

"He said you didn't... hunt people. He said your family wasn't supposed to be dangerous because you only hunted animals."

"He said we ain't dangerous?" His voice was deeply skeptical.

"Not exactly. He said you weren't supposed to be dangerous. But the Taíno still didn't want you on their land, just in case." He looked forward, but I couldn't tell if he was watching the road or not. "So was he right? About... not hunting people?" I tried to keep my voice as even as possible.

"The Taíno have a long memory," he whispered.

I took it as a confirmation.

"Don't let yaself get complacent, though," he warned me. "They're right to keep their distance, others should too. We're still dangerous."

"I don't understand."

"We _try,"_ he explained slowly. "Usually we're pretty good at what we do. Sometimes... we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowin' myself to be alone with ya."

"This is a mistake?" I heard the sadness in my voice, but I didn't know if he could as well.

"A huge one," he murmured.

We were both silent then. I watched the headlights twist with the curves of the road. They moved too fast; it didn't look real, it looked like a video game. I was aware of the time slipping away so quickly, like the black road beneath us, and I was hideously afraid that I would never have another chance to be with him like this again; openly, the walls between us gone for once. His words hinted at an end, and I recoiled from the idea. I couldn't waste one minute I had with him.

"Tell me more," I asked desperately, not caring what he said, just so I could hear his voice again.

He looked at me quickly, startled by the change in my tone. "What else d'ya wanna know?"

"Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people," I suggested, my voice still tinged with desperation. I realized my eyes were wet, and I fought against the grief that was trying to overpower me.

"We don't wanna be monsters." His voice was very low. It was a very simple answer, as if he thought that it should have been obvious.

"But animals aren't enough?"

He paused. "I dunno exactly, but I'd compare it to livin' on tofu, yeah? We call ourselves vegetarians, little inside joke. It don't completely sate ya hunger; or thirst even. But it keeps us strong enough to resist. Mostly." His tone turned ominous. "Sometimes 's more difficult than others."

"Is it very difficult for you now?" I asked.

He sighed. "Yeah."

"But you're not hungry now," I said confidently; stating, not asking.

"Why d'ya think that?"

"Your eyes." I said, pleased he was playing along with my attempts to learn more about him still, allowing me to fill my memory with as much information about him as possible. For when he inevitably broke his promise and disappeared on me. It could be next week, it could be next year, hell; it could be in ninety years... it would still be too soon for me. "I told you I had a theory." I coughed, shaking myself from my self pity. "I've noticed that people; men in particular, are crabbier when they're hungry."

He chuckled. "Observant little shit, ain't ya?"

I didn't answer; I just listened to the sound of his laugh, committing it to memory. "Were you hunting this weekend, with Craig?" I asked when it was quiet again.

"Yeah." He paused for a second, as if deciding whether or not to say something. "I didn't wanna leave, but I had to. It's slightly easier to be 'round ya when I ain't thirsty."

"Why didn't you want to leave?"

"I just, I don't like... to be away from ya." His eyes were gentle but intense, and they seemed to be making my bones turn soft. "I weren't jokin' when I asked ya not fall in the ocean or get run over ya know. I was distracted all weekend, worryin' 'bout ya... and after tonight, I'm surprised that ya made it through a whole weekend unscathed." He shook his head, and then seemed to remember something. "Well, almost unscathed."

"What?"

"Ya hands," he reminded me. I looked down at my palms, at the almost-healed scrapes across the heels of my hands. I rolled my eyes. He missed nothing.

"I fell," I snorted, amused at his apparent chagrin for my minor mishap.

"Figured as much." His lips curved up at the corners. "I suppose, bein' _you,_ it could have been much worse; and that drove me nuts the whole time I was away. Heh, was a very long three days. Think I really ticked off Craigslist." He snickered softly and grinned lopsidedly at me.

"Three days? Didn't you just get back today?"

"Nah, got back Sunday."

"Then why weren't any of you in college?" I was frustrated, almost angry as I thought of how much disappointment I had suffered because of his absence.

"Well... ya asked 'bout the sun, yeah? It don't hurt me, or nothin'... but, I can't go out in the sunlight; least, not where anyone can see."

"Why?"

"I'll show ya sometime," he promised.

I thought about it for a moment. "You could have called me," I decided, uncaring of my pout as my eyes itched irritably, furious that he'd thought so little of me, when I'd been so desperate for even the tiniest of hints about him.

He was puzzled. "Why? I knew ya were safe."

"But I didn't know where you were! I—" I hesitated, dropping my eyes.

"What?" His velvety voice was compelling, a tie between both urgent and resigned.

"I didn't like it. Not seeing you. It made me uncomfortable, like... like there was a black hole, slowly sucking the joy and the colour out of my life." I blushed to be saying this to him, my heart racing in my chest as I kept my voice low and bit my lip.

He was quiet. I glanced up, apprehensive, and saw that his expression was pained.

"Shit..." he groaned quietly. "This is wrong."

I couldn't understand his response. My throat tightened. "What did I say?"

"Don't ya see, Taylor? 'S one thing for me to be makin' myself miserable, but it's somethin' else for ya to be so..." He turned his anguished eyes to the road, his words flowing almost too fast for me to understand. "I don't wanna hear ya feel that way." His voice was low but urgent. His words cut me. "It's wrong. It's ain't safe. I'm dangerous, Taylor; please, ya gotta grasp that."

"No." I tried very hard not to look like a sulky child.

"I'm serious, dammit," he growled.

"So am I." I was being stubborn, I knew that, but I didn't care anymore. Why shouldn't I feel the way I felt? "I told you, it doesn't matter what you are." I insisted, my heart racing as I swallowed the last of my pride and looked over at him with what I hoped was a completely honest and sincere; perhaps a little hopeful, expression. "It's too late."

His voice whipped out, low and harsh. "Never say that."

I flinched and bit my lip again, and was glad he couldn't know how much that hurt. My chest felt like it had taken a physical blow, like the words alone had pierced me like bullets. I stared out at the road. We must be close now. He was driving much too fast.

"What're ya thinkin'?" he asked, his voice still raw.

I shook my head, not sure if I could speak. Considering he didn't approve of the fact I told him I want him in my life; and only _implied_ why, well, I didn't think he would be too pleased to hear me voice the three words that I knew I felt and he clearly didn't want me to feel.

I could feel his gaze on my face, but I kept my eyes forward.

"Wha- are ya _cryin_'?" He sounded appalled. I hadn't realized the moisture in my eyes had brimmed over. I quickly rubbed my hand across my cheek, and sure enough, traitor tears were there, betraying me.

"No," I said petulantly, but my voice cracked.

I saw him reach toward me hesitantly with his right hand, but then he stopped and placed it slowly back on the steering wheel. "Sorry." His voice burned with regret. I knew he wasn't just apologizing for the words that had upset me.

The darkness slipped by us in silence.

"Tell me somethin'," he asked after another minute, and I could hear him struggling to use a lighter tone.

"Yes?" I sighed, running my hand through my hair and propping my elbow on the door to brace my cheek. I looked over at him, resigned that I might never have the man feel the same about me and telling myself it would be wise to send him away now, so that I couldn't fall any deeper. But then, as I had already said; it was too late. There was nowhere left for me to fall, but the desperate pit of hope that he might one day come to not hate my feelings for him.

"What were ya thinkin' tonight, just before I came around the corner? I couldn't understand ya expression; ya didn't look that scared, ya looked like ya were concentratin' real hard on somethin'."

I blinked as I drew myself out of my thoughts, drawing in a deep breath as I tried to think clearly. "I was trying to remember how to incapacitate an attacker; you know, self-defense. Thin out their ranks and all that. I was going to smash the next guys nose into his brain." I thought of the dark-haired man with a surge of hate.

"And ya actually thought you could take 'em all?" This upset him. "I ain't so sure ya ain't got a damn death wish, tryin' to take on six at once; Jesus fuckin' Christ..."

I had no idea how to respond to the comment, so I just shrugged.

"Don't get me wrong, I mean, ya stance when I came around the corner weren't great... pretty bad, actually; and ya hands were too high. But, ya did held 'em off, I guess." He mused, seemingly lost in his critique fueled murmurings.

"Thanks." I bit out, scowling at him from beneath my lashes.

He noticed my petulant tone, his lopsided grin returning and burning away my irritation with awe.

"Am I annoyin' ya?" He asked, just as he had the first time we talked. I didn't trust myself to speak, so I just shook my head. "Sorry, habit. End result; ya did pretty good holdin' 'em off, I s'pose."

It was backhanded and small, but I inwardly preened anyway. I shrugged again. "Thanks. Scott insisted."

"Figures," Jake hummed, shaking his head as he turned to flick his eyes over me. "Ya didn't think if runnin'?"

"I'm at least a foot shorter than all of them, besides which; I fall down a lot when I run," I admitted with no small amount of snark. "I think I had a better chance fighting off than out running them."

"It weren't possible."

"I said I had a better chance," I pointed out, "Not that I expected to succeed."

Jake had a tormented expression. "What 'bout screamin'?"

"I was getting to that part." I said haughtily as I shrugged, "but my throat had been dry, so it probably would've been kinda useless."

He shook his head. "Ya right; I'm fightin' fate tryin' to keep ya ass alive."

I sighed. We were slowing, passing into the boundaries of Cedar Cove. It had taken less than twenty minutes.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I demanded.

"Yeah; I got a paper due, too." He grinned crookedly. I was quickly coming to see it as my favourite grin. "I'll save ya seat at lunch."

It was silly, after everything we'd been through tonight, how that little promise sent flutters through my stomach, and made me unable to speak.

We were in front of Scott's house. The lights were on, my truck in its place, everything utterly normal. It was like waking from a dream. He stopped the car, but I didn't move.

"Do you _promise_ to be there tomorrow?" I demanded, pouting at him dubiously. "I made you promise not to abandon me before, remember?"

I see the flicker of a smile, and know he's amused by my behaviour. "Scout's honour."

I considered that for a moment, then nodded. I pulled his jacket off, taking one last whiff.

"Keep it. Ya ain't have a jacket for tomorrow," he reminded me.

I handed it back to him. "I don't want to have to explain to Scott."

"Ah, gotcha." He grinned and winked conspiratorially.

I hesitated, my hand on the door handle, trying to prolong the moment.

"Taylor?" he asked in a different tone; serious, but hesitant.

"Yes?" I turned back to him too eagerly.

"Promise me somethin'?"

"Yes," I said, and instantly regretted my unconditional agreement. What if he asked me to stay away from him? I couldn't keep that promise.

"Don't go in the woods alone."

I stared at him in blank confusion. "Why?"

He frowned, and his eyes were tight as he stared past me out the window.

"I ain't always the _most_ dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at that."

I shuddered slightly at the sudden bleakness in his voice, but I was relieved. This, at least, was an easy promise to honor. "Whatever you say."

"See ya tomorrow," he sighed, and I knew he wanted me to leave now.

"Tomorrow, then." I opened the door unwillingly.

"Taylor?"

I turned and he was leaning toward me, his pale, glorious face just inches from mine. My heart stopped beating.

"G'night," he said. His breath blew in my face, stunning me. It was the same exquisite scent that clung to his jacket, but in a more concentrated form. I blinked, thoroughly dazed. He leaned away.

I was unable to move until my brain had somewhat unscrambled itself. Then I stepped out of the car awkwardly, having to use the frame for support. I thought I heard him chuckle, but the sound was too quiet for me to be certain.

He waited till I had stumbled to the front door, and then I heard his engine quietly rev. I turned to watch the silver car disappear around the corner. I realized it was very cold.

I reached for the key mechanically, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Scott called from the living room. "Tay-bear?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's me." I walked in to see him. He was watching a baseball game.

"You're home early."

"Am I?" I was surprised. I glanced at the clock with a pout. Stupid speeding vampire.

"It's not even eight yet," he told me. "Did you all have fun?"

"Yeah, it was... lots of fun." My head was spinning as I tried to remember all the way back to the initial night out I had planned. "They both found dresses."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm just tired. I did a lot of walking."

"Well, maybe you should go lie down." He sounded concerned. I wondered what my face looked like.

"I'm just going to call Zoe first."

"Weren't you just with her?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah, but I left my jacket in her car. I want to make sure she brings it tomorrow."

Scott smiled knowingly, "Ah, Tay-bear, you'd leave your head behind if it wasn't attached to your head." He mused, then a brow quirked up sternly. "In that regard, I wish your pepper spray was on you, too."

"At least I still have all those self-defense lessons in my arsenal." No need to mention that I had actually had cause to use them tonight.

Scott shrugged, "Still been awhile, you might need to brush up. And it's not easy to pull things out of your butt."

"Why would— oh, _dad!"_ I groaned, "That was _so _bad!"

He bowed dramatically, "Then my work here is done." Scott grinned, "Anyway, give Zoe a chance to get home first."

"Right," I agreed.

I went to the kitchen and fell, exhausted, into a chair. I was really feeling dizzy now. I wondered if I was going to go into shock after all. Get a grip, I told myself. A scorching hot flush ran through me at the thought of any kind of gripping and I immediately began counting the plaster lines on the ceiling to stop myself from thinking anything further at all.

The phone rang suddenly, startling me. I yanked it off the hook.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Taylor?"

"Hey, Zoe, I was just going to call you." I tried not to let myself feel dejected. How likely was it he would've called me anyway?

"You made it home?" Her voice was relieved... and I was more than a little offended by how surprised she sounded by that.

"Yes. I left my jacket in your car... could you bring it to me tomorrow?" I asked, a waspish bite to my voice.

"Sure. But tell me what happened!" she demanded.

"Um, tomorrow... in Programming, okay?"

She caught on quickly. "Oh, is your dad there?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!" I could hear the impatience in her voice.

"Bye, Zoe."

I walked up the stairs slowly, a heavy stupor clouding my mind. I went through the motions of getting ready for bed without paying any attention to what I was doing. It wasn't until I was in the shower; the water too hot, burning my skin, that I realized I was freezing. I shuddered violently for several minutes before the steaming spray could finally relax my rigid muscles. Then I stood in the shower, too tired to move, until the hot water began to run out.

I stumbled out, securely a towel around my waist, trying to hold the heat from the water in so the aching shivers wouldn't return. I dressed for bed swiftly and climbed under my quilt, curling into a ball and hugging myself to keep warm. A few small shudders trembled through me.

My mind still swirled dizzily, full of images I couldn't understand, and some I fought to repress. Nothing seemed clear at first, but as I fell gradually closer to unconsciousness, a few certainties became evident.

About four things I was absolutely positive.

First, Jake was a vampire.

Second, there was part of him; and I didn't know how potent that part might be, that thirsted for my blood.

Third, I didn’t care. I would do everything I could, to keep him in my life and not lose this being who made me feel things I’d never before felt.

And fourth, I knew that I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.  
  



	10. The Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohayou, gozaimasu <3
> 
> This has been an amazing ride... there aren't words.
> 
> Can't begin to tell you guys how tantalizing it is to still have these two dance around each other.
> 
> But that's the beauty of slow burn, ain't it?  
Writing this thing is one of the activities I look forward to every day. 
> 
> And we hope we manage to make you smile by simply reading this. 
> 
> We appreciate the support and the time you spend to read this!  
(*≧ω≦*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲

**The Questioning**

It was very hard, in the morning, to argue with the part of me that was sure last night was merely a wonderful, if cruel dream. Logic wasn't on my side, or common sense. I clung to the parts I couldn't have imagined; like his smell. I was sure I could never have dreamed that up on my own.

It was foggy and dark outside my window, absolutely perfect. My heart lifted as I smiled. He had no reason not to be in school today. I dressed in my heavy clothes, remembering I didn't have a jacket. Further proof that my memories were real.

When I got downstairs, Scott was gone again; I was running later than I'd realized. I swallowed a granola bar in three bites, chased it down with milk straight from the carton, despite feeling as much of a neanderthal as Jordan for the deed; and then hurried out the door. Hopefully the rain would hold off until I could find Zoe.

It was unusually foggy; the air was almost smoky with it. The mist was ice cold where it clung to the exposed skin on my face and neck. I planned to get the heat going in my truck as soon as possible to save my hair. It was such a thick fog that I was a few feet down the driveway before I realized there was a car in it: an Audi. My heart thudded, stuttered, and then picked up again in double time.

I didn't see where he came from, but suddenly he was there, pulling the door open for me.

"Wanna ride with me today?" Jake asked, amused by my expression as he caught me by surprise yet again.

There was uncertainty in his voice. He was really giving me a choice; I was free to refuse, and I suspected part of him hoped for that. It was a very vain hope.

"Sure, thanks," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I suspected my giddy grin gave me away regardless.

As I stepped into the warm car, I noticed his green jacket was slung over the headrest of the passenger seat. The door closed behind me, and, sooner than should be possible, he was sitting next to me, starting the car.

"I brought a jacket for ya. Didn't want ya to get sick or nothin'." His voice was guarded.

I noticed that he wore no jacket himself, just a plain black shirt with short sleeves. Not exactly inconspicuous in a town where the weather was usually a ninety percent chance of rain. The fabric clung to his perfectly muscled chest. It was a colossal tribute to his face that it kept my eyes away from his body.

"I'm not quite that delicate," I said testily, but I pulled the jacket onto my lap anyway, pushing my arms through the too-long sleeves, curious to see if the scent could possibly be as good as I remembered. It wasn't.

It was better.

"Ain't ya?" Jake contradicted in a voice so low I was pretty sure he meant for me to not hear. I responded by pulling my tongue out. He snickered, "Well, maybe ya ain't; maybe I just wanna mark ya as mine via personal apparels. Safest way to do so."

I blushed at that remark, but said nothing, too giddy for words.

We drove through the fog-shrouded streets, always too fast, feeling awkward. Or rather, I was, at least. Last night all the walls were down... well, almost all. I didn't know if we were still being as candid today, especially after his severe reaction to my previous insinuations. It all left me tongue-tied. I waited for him to speak.

He turned to smirk at me. "What, no twenty questions today?"

"Do my questions bother you?" I asked, relieved.

"Not as much as ya reactions." He snorted, looking as if he was joking, though; I couldn't be sure.

I frowned. "Do I react badly?"

"No, that's the damn problem. Ya take everythin' so bloody... _easily. _'S unnatural. Makes me wonder what ya really thinkin'."

"I always tell you what I'm really thinking."

"Ya edit," he accused.

"Not _very _much."

"Enough to drive me insane."

"You don't want to hear it," I mumbled, almost whispered.

As soon as the words were out, I regretted them. His reaction the previous evening returned to my thoughts vividly, and I turned away to hide a wince. The pain in my voice had been very faint; I could only hope he hadn't noticed it. He didn't respond, and I wondered if I had ruined the mood. His face was unreadable as we drove into the school parking lot. Something occurred to me belatedly.

"Where's the rest of your family?" I asked suddenly; more than glad to be alone with him, but remembering that his car was usually full.

"They took Zahra's car." He shrugged as he parked next to a glossy black jeep with the roof down. "Pretty, ain't it?"

"Um, wow," I breathed. "If she has _that, _why the hell does she ride with _you?"_

"We do _try _to blend in, ya know." Jake snickered, seeming amused by my reaction.

"Really?" I snorted, "I never would have guessed." I shook my head as we got out of the car. I wasn't late anymore; his lunatic driving had gotten me to school in plenty of time. "So why did Zahra drive today if it uh, stops you blending so well?" I asked, trying to pretend I didn't sound like an idiot.

"Ain't ya noticed? I'm breakin' _all _the rules now." He met me at the front of the car, staying very close to my side as we walked onto campus.

I wanted to close that little distance, to reach out and touch him, but I was knew he wouldn't like me to. Touching was clearly very much, still _off _the table. I tried not to sulk about that.

"Why do you have cars like that at all?" I wondered aloud. "If you're looking for privacy?"

"'S an indulgence," he admitted with an impish grin which made him look years younger, even with his stubble. "We all like to drive fast."

"Figures," I muttered under my breath.

Under the shelter of the cafeteria roof's overhang, Zoe was waiting, her eyes about to bug out of their sockets. Over her arm, was my jacket.

"Hey, Zoe," I said when we were a few feet away. "Thanks for remembering." She handed me my jacket without speaking.

"Mornin', Leon," Jake said politely, which I assumed was for my benefit and not for Zoe's, given the use of her last name. I tried not to preen smugly that he made such an effort.

It wasn't really his fault that his voice was so irresistible. Or what his eyes were capable of.

"Er... hi." She shifted her wide eyes to me, trying to gather her jumbled thoughts. "I guess I'll see you in Programming." She gave me a meaningful look, and I suppressed a sigh.

What on earth was I going to tell her? "Yeah, I'll see you then."

She walked away, pausing twice to peek back over her shoulder at us.

"What are you going to tell her?" Jake murmured.

"Hey, I thought you couldn't read my mind!" I hissed, immediately flushing guiltily as I recalled some of the very decidedly _non _-innocent thoughts I'd had about the man.

"I can't," he said, startled. Then understanding brightened his eyes, which flicked over me with an intense curiosity as I visible sagged with relief. "But, I can read hers; she'll be waiting to ambush ya in class."

I groaned as I pulled off his jacket and handed it to him, replacing it with my own. He folded it over his arm.

"So, what're ya gonna tell her?"

"A little help?" I pleaded. "What does she want to know?"

He shook his head, grinning wickedly. "That ain't fair."

"No, this is smart. Tactical. You not sharing what you know?" I grumbled, scowling at him as I mourned the loss of his jacket; my own suddenly feeling too small and cold. "Now _that's _not fair."

He deliberated for a moment as we walked. We stopped outside the door to my first class.

"She wants to know if we're secretly datin'. And she wants to know... how ya feel 'bout me," he finally said.

"Yikes." I breathed, my heart fluttering absurdly in my chest. "What should I say?" I tried to keep my expression very innocent.

People were passing us on their way to class, probably staring, but I was barely aware of them.

"Hmmm." He paused to run his clear eyes over me thoughtfully, lifting them slowly as a wicked grin began to curl across his lips. My heart spluttered hyper-actively. "I s'pose ya could say yes to the first; if ya don't mind." He drawled, flicking his wrist to gesture between us flippantly. "'S... easier than other explanations."

My head felt fuzzy, my heart racing like a herd of rhino's. "I-I... I don't mind," I said in a faint voice. Oh god, I hoped I wasn't about to pass out.

"And as for her other question... well, I'll be listenin' to hear the answer to that one myself." One side of his mouth pulled up into my favorite uneven smile.

I couldn't catch my breath soon enough to respond to that remark. He turned and walked away.

"See ya at lunch," he called over his shoulder. Three people walking in the door stopped to stare at me.

I knew I was standing and staring idiotically, but I couldn't seem to find any air in the damn building. I wondered distantly whether Jake was aware what he'd done to me, whether he realised the extent of my dazzlement. I hoped I wasn't about to pass out;because I knew he would never let me hear the end of it. Someone's arm caught my elbow as they walked by me, startling me out of my daze. I turned and hurried into class, flushed and irritated. He was such a goddamn _cheater. _Now I was even more worried about what I was going to say to Zoe. I sat in my usual seat, slamming my bag down in aggravation.

_Stupid vampire jerk. _I thought petulantly, too lost in my internal fuming and all the things I would like to do to Jake; well, a much redacted list of things, anyway. I didn't want to have to walk around with my face bright red all day.

"Uh, Taylor..?"

Brian's uncertain voice startled me back to reality with an unpleasant bump. I shot out of my seat, putting the desk between us as I turned to Brian and found him hovering at the far side of the desk, nowhere near the seat next to me where he usually sat in Technology. I had been about to call him for his inexcusable behaviour the previous evening, but something about the odd, almost scared look on his face made me pause.

"How was Port Royale?"

"Really? That's what you're going with?" I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him as my temper flared. How fucking dare he ask me that?

"I... Look," Brian hesitated, before bracing his palms on the end of the table, his eyes frantic with fear as he leaned infinitesimally closer and began to speak in a whispered rush. "Taylor, man; I don't remember anything from last night... I'm kinda freaking out here." He said quickly, glancing around the class as if to check they weren't listening.

My frown deepened, my instincts for some reason wanting to trust him. Just this once; and only to get to the truth. 

"... what's the last thing you remember?" I asked cautiously, still keeping the desk between us. If anyone noticed our strange behaviour, nobody thought to comment on it. I decided that was something at least.

"Me and Max, we were... we were going for a couple beers, just chilling out and ya know, talking about how he was planning on winning Kara back." He said in a rush, glancing around guiltily as if the other people in our class might be eavesdropping. "She broke up with him at the prom, ya know? For not winning her the crown... fucked up, right?" He said, a nervous giggle escaping him as I reluctantly took a half step towards him, not sure his acting skills were up to such a convincing performance of fear. "So anyway, we're talking about this plan he has to get her a crown and give it to her for the spring dance? And we ran out of beer. We went to get some and met one of Max's dropout buddies... we ended up going with them and... I dunno, stuff after that gets blurry..." Brian paused, scratching his arm awkwardly as I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. 

"But?" I pressed.

"But... I feel like I did something bad; and I have this feeling, it's like nausea; but worse?" He said, looking over at me with a hint of hysteria in his eyes. I couldn't help that I softened towards him. He didn't have the brains to pull off such a believable depiction of anxiety. "I feel, like I did something bad; and I feel like you know what it is, and oh god—" he choked, his hands rising to his hair and clutching at great handfuls of the thick locks.

I was genuinely concerned for all of a heartbeat, that he would actually rip them out.

"Brian... calm down." I ordered, trying to make my voice cool and commanding, like Jake's when he wanted something. "You're right. I do know." I said firmly, watching as Brian began to hyperventilate.

"Oh god, oh... Oooooh my—" he babbled, gripping his hair still as I rolled my eyes and sighed, taking half a step closer; only for Brian to stumble back. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!" He yelped abruptly, heedless of the others in our class who were starting to notice his behaviour.

I glanced around quickly, pulling myself up to my full; short ass height, before stepping closer to Brian with an intense scowl which I hoped mirrored Jake's. "You're causing a fucking scene, now get a fucking grip Brian, before I give you another bruise to match the one from last night." I hissed, his eyes widening as his hand moved to cover the spot on his jaw which my fist had connected with the previous evening.

Brian made a noticeable effort to calm down, glancing around the other students in our class and clearing his throat as he forced his breathing to calm, slipping further back from me as his hands now fidgeted with the edge of his t shirt. "I… I don't know what happened." He whispered, his lip trembling in a way which made me believe him all the more. Brian _definitely _wasn't that good of an actor. "But if _you _did this… man, I am sorry."

I peered at him for a long pause, drawing in a deep breath as I considered things heavily. "... you seriously need better friends. Plus, a crash course in how to behave toward people." I finally sighed, folding my arms over my chest as I frowned at him. "I don't know that I'll ever fully trust you again, but if you can show me all… this," I said, gesturing to Brian's regretful and nervous cowering. "Is genuine? Then maybe I don't need to tell my dad… or Zoe." I said, the relief on his face was instantaneous. "But you _better _get your goddamn act together Brian… because I won't stand around and let you treat her like garbage. I wanna see you treating her like a goddamn princess from now on, got it?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him warningly.

Brian nodded quickly, lowering his eyes in contrition as I sighed and returned to my seat. "So… how was the uh, the _rest _of Port Royale?" Brian asked a short time later, leaning hesitantly against the table across the aisle from me.

"The _rest _was..." There was no honest way to sum up what had happened after Brian's appalling behaviour. In a way I should thank him, Jake might not have opened up to me without his concern for my safety and the push to get me away from… what _they _had planned. "Great," I finished lamely. I considered him from the corner of my eye. "Zoe got a really cute dress."

"Did… did she say anything about Monday night?" he asked tentatively, his eyes brightening slightly. Perhaps he would behave better toward her now.

I almost smiled at the turn the conversation had taken. "She said she had a really good time," I assured him.

"She did?" Brian asked with uncharacteristic shyness.

"She did."

Mr. Mason called the class to order then, asking us to turn in our papers. I expected Brian to sit beside me, but he moved away to the back of the class, sitting beside Wes Porter. I couldn't honestly say I wasn't pleased by the development of an empty space beside me. I hoped it lasted the rest of the semester.

Technology and then IT passed in a blur, while I worried about how to explain things to Zoe and agonized over whether Jake would really be listening to what I said through the medium of Zoe's thoughts. How very inconvenient his little talent could be; when it wasn't saving my life.

The fog had almost dissolved by the end of the second hour, but the day was still dark with low, oppressing clouds. I smiled up at the sky.

Jake was right, of course. When I walked into Programming Zoe was sitting in the back row, nearly bouncing off her seat in agitation. I reluctantly went to sit by her, trying to convince myself it would be better to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Tell me everything!" she commanded before I was in the seat.

"What do you want to know?" I hedged.

"What happened last night?"

"He bought me dinner, then he drove me home."

She glared at me, her expression stiff with skepticism. "How did you get home so fast?"

"He drives like a maniac. It was terrifying." I smirked, because I really hoped he heard that.

"Was it like a date? Did you tell him to meet you there?"

I hadn't thought of that. "No... I was definitely; _very_ surprised to see him there."

Her lips puckered in disappointment at the transparent honesty in my voice. "But he picked you up for school today?" she probed.

"Yeah, that was a surprise, too. He noticed I didn't have a jacket last night," I explained.

"So are you going out again?"

"He offered to drive me to Seattle Saturday because he thinks my truck isn't up to it... does that count?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Well, then, yes."

"W-o-w." She exaggerated the word into three syllables. "Jake McKenzie."

"I know," I agreed. "Wow" didn't even cover it. Heh, and that was without actually knowing him.

"Wait!" Her hands flew up, palms toward me like she was stopping traffic. "Has he kissed you?"

"No," I mumbled. "It's... it's not like that." I lowered my eyes, remembering his harsh words from the night before. "For him anyway. He's been very upfront about the fact there is a firm line he won't cross."

She looked disappointed. I'm sure I did, too. I felt myself sink into a small dark hole, my shoulders sagging as I realised Jake may never be what I wanted him to be.

"Do you think Saturday... ?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I really doubt it." The discontent in my voice was poorly disguised in my distracted state. "Kinda hard to kiss someone when you don't like to touch them."

"What did you talk about?" She pushed for more information in a whisper. Class had started but Mr. Varner wasn't paying close attention and we weren't the only ones still talking.

"Lots of stuff," I whispered back distractedly, still pining over the fact I wanted him so badly. "We talked about the English essay a little." A very, very little. I think he mentioned it in passing.

"Please, Taylor," she begged. "Give me some details."

"Well... okay, I've got one. There was a waitress flirting with him all night, but he didn't pay any attention to her at all." I suddenly remembered he had said he would be listening, flushing guiltily as I tried to remember if I had spoken or just thought my sulky comments. I couldn't recall, so I decided to push it aside for now and try to pay more attention to what I said in future.

"That's a good sign," she nodded. "Was she pretty?"

"Uh, sure... I guess?" I have no idea how to judge women's beauty; seeing as they've never made my heart flutter the way a certain, scruffy vampire had. Perhaps I was just really picky. "And uh, probably nineteen or eighteen."

"Even better. He must like you."

"I dunno, it's hard to tell. He's always so damn cryptic," I threw in for his benefit, sighing.

"I don't know how you're brave enough to be alone with him," she breathed.

"Why?" I was shocked, but she didn't understand my reaction.

"He's so... intimidating. I wouldn't know what to say to him." She made a face, probably remembering this morning or last night, when he'd turned the overwhelming force of his eyes on her.

"I do have some trouble with coherency when I'm around him," I admitted. "But I don't think he's intimidating, or scary at all really. He's just... protective. I admire him." Let him make what he would of that.

"Oh well. He is unbelievably gorgeous." Zoe shrugged as if this excused any flaws. Which, in her book, it probably did.

"There's a lot more to him than that." I said before i could help myself, irritated by her implication that I cared about Jake's appearance over his... well, everything.

"Really? Like what?"

I suddenly wished I had let it go and kept my snarky comment to myself. Almost as much as I was hoping he'd been kidding about listening in.

"I can't explain it right... but he's even more unbelievable behind the face." The vampire who wanted to be good; who ran around saving people's lives so he wouldn't be a monster... I stared toward the front of the room. "He's amazing; thoughtful and gentle, and he's... he's a kind and compassionate person and he just, well, he just makes me feel safe whenever I'm around him." I blushed fiercely, remembering he'd threatened to listen in. I knew i'd never hear the end of it if he had heard that.

"Is that possible?" She giggled.

I ignored her, trying to look like I was paying attention to Mr. Varner.

"So you like him, then?" She wasn't about to give up.

"Yes," I said curtly, trying to appear nonchalant. Could he see my face through Zoe's eyes, once the image was in her head? I hoped not, I knew it was bright red.

"I mean, do you really like him?" she urged.

I looked down at the desk, my fingers trailing slowly over the surface. "Yes," I said again, blushing; the words were barely more than a whisper. I hoped that detail wouldn't register in her thoughts.

She'd had enough with the single syllable answers. "How much do you like him?"

"Way too much," I whispered back, my heart aching as I flinched, recalling Jake's firm rejection the previous night. "More than he'll ever like me. But I don't see how I can help that." I sighed, one blush blending into the next.

Then, thankfully, Mr. Varner called on Zoe for an answer.

She didn't get a chance to start on the subject again during class, and as soon as the bell rang, I took evasive action.

"In Technology, Brian asked me if you said anything about Monday night," I told her.

"You're kidding! What did you say?!" she gasped, completely sidetracked.

"I told him you said you had a lot of fun; he looked pleased."

"Tell me exactly what he said, and your exact answer!"

We spent the rest of the walk dissecting sentence structures and most of Science on a minute description of Brian's facial expressions. I wouldn't have helped draw it out for as long as I did if I wasn't worried about the subject returning to me.

And then the bell rang for lunch. As I jumped up out of my seat, shoving my books roughly in my bag, my uplifted expression must have tipped Zoe off.

"You're not sitting with us today, are you?" she guessed.

"I don't think so." I couldn't be sure that he wouldn't disappear inconveniently again.

But outside the door of the study hall, leaning against the wall; looking more like a Greek god than anyone had a right to, Jake was waiting for me.

Zoe took one look, rolled her eyes, and departed.

"See you later, Taylor." Her voice was thick with implications. I might have to turn off the ringer on the phone.

"Hey." His voice was amused and irritated at the same time. He had been listening, it was obvious.

"Hey, you."

I couldn't think of anything else to say, and he didn't speak; biding his time, I presumed, so it was a quiet walk to the cafeteria. Walking with Jake through the crowded lunchtime rush was a lot like my first day here; everyone stared. He led the way into the line, still not speaking, though his eyes returned to my face every few seconds, their expression speculative. It seemed to me that irritation was winning out over amusement as the dominant emotion in his face. I fidgeted with the zipper on my jacket.

He stepped up to the counter and filled a tray with food.

"What are you doing?" I objected. "You're not getting all that for me?"

He shook his head and grinned lopsidedly, stepping forward to buy the food. "Half's for me, 'course."

I raised one eyebrow.

He led the way to the same place we'd sat that one time before. From the other end of the long table, a group of seniors gazed at us in amazement as we sat across from each other. Jake seemed oblivious.

"Help yaself," he said, pushing the tray toward me.

"I'm curious," I said as I picked up an apple, turning it around in my hands, "what would you do if someone dared you to eat food?"

"Ya always bloody curious." He grimaced, shaking his head.

Jake glared at me, holding my eyes as he lifted the slice of pizza off the tray, and deliberately bit off a mouthful, chewed quickly, and then swallowed. I watched, eyes wide.

"Someone dares ya to eat dirt, ya could, couldn't ya?" he asked condescendingly.

I wrinkled my nose. "Jordan made me do that once... as a dare," I confirmed. "It wasn't so bad. Either that or admitting that I had the same crush as he did, at the time."

"His boyfriend?"

"No. Another guy." 

He laughed. "I s'pose I ain't surprised." Something over my shoulder seemed to catch his attention. "Leon's analyzin' everythin' I do; she'll break it down for you later." He pushed the rest of the pizza toward me.

The mention of Zoe brought a hint of his former irritation back to his features. I put down the apple and took a bite of the pizza, looking away, knowing he was about to start.

"So... waitress was pretty, was she?" Jake asked casually.

"You really didn't notice?"

"Nope. Weren't payin' attention. Had a lot on my mind."

"Poor girl." I could afford being considerate to her efforts, now.

"Somethin' ya said to Leon... bugs me." Jake refused to be distracted. His voice was husky, and he glanced up from under his lashes with troubled eyes.

"I'm not surprised you heard something you didn't like." I sniffed haughtily, though my grin clearly gave away my amusement. "You know what they say about eavesdroppers," I reminded him.

"I warned ya I'd be listenin'."

"And I warned you that you didn't want to know everything I was thinking."

"Ya did," he agreed, but his voice was still rough. "Ya ain't exactly right, though. I wanna know what ya thinkin', everythin'. I just wish... ya weren't thinkin' some shit."

I scowled. "That's quite a distinction."

"But that ain't really the point at the moment."

"Then what is?" I demanded. How is it that one man, vampire; whatever, could infuriate me so much, but still be so completely encoded into my heart already?

We were inclined toward each other across the table now. He had his large white hands folded under his chin; I leaned forward, my right hand cupped around my neck. I had to remind myself that we were in a crowded lunchroom, with probably many curious eyes on us. It was too easy to get wrapped up in our own private, tense little bubble.

"D'ya honestly believe that ya care more for me than I do for _you_?" Jake murmured, leaning closer to me as he spoke, his sharp, cerulean eyes piercing.

I tried to remember how to exhale. I had to look away before it came back to me. "You're doing it again," I muttered.

His eyes opened wide with surprise. "Huh?"

"Dazzling me," I admitted, trying to concentrate as I looked back at him.

"Oh." He frowned.

"It's not your fault," I sighed. "You can't help it." Doesn't mean it isn't inconvenient though. It's incredibly hard to have a conversation when your mind keeps going blank and you forget everything you wanted to say.

"Are you going to answer the question?"

I looked down. "Yes."

"Yes, ya gonna answer, or yes, ya really think that?" He was irritated again.

"Yes, I really think that." I snapped, though I kept my eyes down on the table, tracing the pattern of the faux wood grains printed on the laminate. The silence dragged on. I stubbornly refused to be the first to break it this time, fighting hard against the temptation to peek at his expression.

Finally he spoke, voice musical and velvet soft. "Ya wrong." I glanced up to see that his eyes were gentle.

"You can't know that," I disagreed in a whisper. "You can't see in my head. You _can't_ know... not that you want to anyway." I shook my head, though my heart throbbed at his words and I wanted so badly to believe them.

"What the hell makes ya think that?" His glistening blue eyes were penetrating; trying futilely, I assumed, to lift the truth straight from my mind.

I stared back, struggling to think clearly in spite of his face, to find some way to explain. As I searched for the words, I could see him growing impatient; frustrated by my silence, he started to scowl. I lifted my hand from my neck, and held up one finger.

"Let me think," I insisted.

His expression cleared, now that he was satisfied that I was planning to answer. I dropped my hand to the table, moving my left hand so that my palms were pressed together. I stared at my hands, twisting and untwisting my fingers, as I finally spoke.

"Well, aside from the obvious, sometimes..." I hesitated. "I can't be sure; I don't know how to read minds, but sometimes it seems like you're trying to say goodbye when you're saying something else." That was the best I could sum up the sensation of anguish that his words triggered in me at times.

"Huh," he whispered. And there was the anguish again, surfacing as he confirmed my fear. "Ya right... but that's exactly why ya wrong, too," he began to explain, but then his eyes narrowed. "And whaddaya mean, 'the obvious'?"

"Well, look at me," I said, unnecessarily as he was already staring. "I'm absolutely ordinary; well, except for bad things like all the near-death experiences and being so clumsy that I'm almost disabled. And look at _you."_ I waved my hand toward him and all his bewildering perfection.

His brow creased angrily for a moment, then smoothed as his eyes took on a knowing look. "Ya don't see yaself very clear, do ya? I'll admit ya dead-on about the bad shit," he chuckled blackly, "but ya didn't hear what every human male in this school was thinkin' on ya first day... fair few of the girls too."

I blinked, astonished. "I don't believe it..." I mumbled to myself. "I mean, some, maybe. But _every_? No. Hardly any guy cared to even look back at Sunset beach."

Jake rolled his eyes, "And I'm sure that weren't nothin' to do with ya havin' a twin brother 'round who; knowin' how ya are, ya happily hid behind." He said knowingly, smirking at my telling blush. "Whatever the case; if ya hadn't noticed, student population 'round here is scarce compared to most colleges. The girls all got pissed afterwards when they saw ya were gettin' more attention than 'em and wrote ya off as their rival."

"Er, anyone I—"

"Kara."

I pursed my lip. That explained a lot.

Jake shook his head, "Face it, Taylor; ya the opposite of ordinary."

My embarrassment was much stronger than my pleasure at the look that came into his eyes when he said this. I quickly reminded him of my original argument.

"But I'm not saying goodbye," I pointed out.

"Ah, but see, that's the thing, Boy Scout." He said, spreading his palms. "That's what proves I care the most, 'cause if I can do it?" He shook his head, seeming to struggle with the thought, "if leavin' is the right thing to do, then I'll hurt myself to keep from hurtin' ya, to keep you safe."

I glared. "And you don't think I would do the same?" How very dare he? I get that he's the vampire, determined he's a damn monster; which I do _not_ agree with, but even so... how dare he presume to know how I feel or insist that it's lesser to what he feels?

"You'd never have to make the choice."

Abruptly, his unpredictable mood shifted again; a mischievous, devastating smile rearranged his features. "'Course, keeping ya safe is beginnin' to feel like a lotta work as compared to holdin' myself from being the one to kill ya."

"No one has tried to do away with me today," I reminded him, grateful for the lighter subject, despite still being pissed off. I didn't want him to talk about goodbyes anymore. If I had to, I supposed I could purposefully put myself in danger to keep him close... I banished that thought before his quick eyes read it on my face. That idea would definitely get me in trouble. I could feel a coy smirk curling my lips, but I didn't try to stop it, deciding my extra dangerous behaviour in future was suitable punishment for his ridiculous and unfair assumptions.

"Yet," he added.

"Yet," I agreed. I would have argued, but now I wanted him to be expecting disasters. 

"Got question for ya." His face was still casual.

"Shoot."

"D'ya really need to go to Seattle Saturday, or was that just an excuse to get outta turnin' down all ya admirers?"

I made a face at the memory. "You know, I haven't forgiven you for the Caleb thing yet," I warned him. "It's _your_ fault that he's deluded himself into thinking I'm going to end of year dance with him."

"Oh, c'mon... he would've found a chance to ask ya without me; I just _really_ wanted to watch ya face," he chuckled, I would have been angrier if his laughter wasn't so fascinating. "If I'd asked ya... would ya've turned _me_ down?" he asked, still laughing to himself despite the sudden seriousness in his eyes.

"Probably not," I admitted. "But I probably would have canceled later; faked an illness or a sprained ankle."

He was puzzled. "Why'd ya do that?"

"I just, I don't know. I haven't felt like I really have any desire to go." I shook my head sadly, shrugging a shoulder as I added another reason to my growing list. "It's not really my kind of dancing anyway, I don't think... you've never seen me in Gym, but I would have thought you would understand."

"Ya mean how ya can't walk across a flat, surface without findin' somethin' to trip over?" He said, cocking his head thoughtfully as he ran his eyes over me. "That said, ya ain't been nearly so bad this week.

"Obviously." I replied, choosing to ignore his second comment, despite knowing I was glowing like a beacon at his words.

"That wouldn't be a problem." He said dismissively was very confident. "It's all in the leadin'." He could see that I was about to protest, and he cut me off. "But ya never told me; are ya set on goin' to Seattle, or d'ya mind if we do somethin' different?"

As long as that "we" part was in, I didn't care about anything else. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks at that thought, but I was still obsessing over the use of the word 'we' and how good it had sounded.

"I'm open to alternatives," I allowed. "But I do have a favor to ask."

He looked wary, as he always did when I asked an open-ended question. "What?"

"Can I drive?"

He frowned. "Why?"

"Well, mostly because when I told Scott I was going to Seattle, he specifically asked if I was going alone and, at the time, I was. If he asked again, I probably wouldn't lie, but I don't think he will ask again, and leaving my truck at home would just bring up the subject unnecessarily. And also, because your driving terrifies me."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Of all the bloody things 'bout me, it's gotta be my damn drivin' that scares ya." He shook his head in disgust, but then his eyes were serious again. "Ain't ya gonna tell ya Pa that ya spendin' the day with me?" There was an undercurrent to his question that I didn't understand.

"With Scott, less is always more." I was definite about that, besides which I was _twenty._ What, did I really need to ask my dad's permission to go out with my new vampire friend slash boyfriend? I blushed at that, and instantly Jake's eyes were trying to bore holes in my head, frustrated he didn't know why I was suddenly three shades redder. "Where are we going, anyway?" I asked by way of distraction.

"The weather'll be nice, so I'll be stayin' outta public eye... and _you_ can stay with me, if ya'd like to." Again, he was leaving the choice up to me.

"And you'll show me what you meant, about the sun?" I asked, excited by the idea of unraveling another of the unknowns.

"Yeah." Jake smiled, and then paused. "But if ya don't wanna be... alone with me, I'd still rather ya didn't go to Seattle by yaself. I hate to think of the shit ya might get yaself into, in a city that size."

I was tickled with more than a small dose of frustration at his un-subtle accusation. "Sunset beach is three times bigger than Seattle; just in population. In physical size—"

"Yeah, but," he interrupted me, "ya number weren't up in over there. So I'd rather ya just, stuck near me." His eyes did that unfair smoldering thing again.

I couldn't argue, with the eyes or the motivation, and it was a moot point anyway. "Well then, I guess you're in luck..." I said, hoping my voice didn't betray my joy at those words. "As it happens, I kinda like being alone with you."

"I know," he sighed, brooding. "Ya oughta tell Scott, though."

"Why in the world would I do that?"

His eyes were suddenly fierce. "To gimme some small incentive to bring ya back."

I bit my lip. But, after a moment of thought, I was sure. "... maybe I don't want you to bring me back."

He exhaled angrily, and looked away.

"Let's talk about something else," I suggested.

"Whaddaya wanna talk 'bout now?" he asked. He was still annoyed.

I glanced around us, making sure we were well out of anyone's hearing. As I cast my eyes around the room, I caught the eyes of his sister, Quinn, staring at me with a faint smile hovering at the edge of her lips. The others were looking at Jake. I looked away swiftly, back to him, and I asked the first thing that came to mind.

"Why did you go to that Pine Springs Wilderness place last weekend... to hunt? Scott said it wasn't a good place to hike, because of bears."

He stared at me as if I was missing something very obvious.

"Bears?" I gasped, and he smirked. "You know, bears are _not_ in season," I added sternly, to hide my shock.

"If ya read carefully, law only covers huntin' with weapons," he informed me.

He watched my face with enjoyment as that slowly sank in.

"Bears?" I repeated with difficulty.

"Grizzly's Craig's favorite." His voice was still offhand, but his eyes were scrutinizing my reaction. I tried to pull myself together.

"Hmmm," I said, taking another bite of pizza as an excuse to look down. I chewed slowly, and then took a long drink of Coke without looking up.

"So," I said after a moment, finally meeting his now-anxious gaze. "What's _your_ favorite?"

He raised an eyebrow and the corners of his mouth turned down in disapproval. "Mountain wolf."

"Hmm," I said in a politely disinterested tone, looking for my soda again and secreting the information away in a corner of my heart.

"'Course," he said, and his tone mirrored mine, "we gotta be careful not to impact the environment with over huntin'. We try to focus on areas with an overpopulation of predators; headin' out as far away as we need. There's always plenty of deer or elk here and all, but where's the fun in huntin' those cowards?" He smiled teasingly.

"Where indeed," I murmured around another bite of pizza.

"Early spring is actually Craig's favorite bear season; they're just comin' outta hibernation, so they're more irritable." He smiled at some remembered joke.

"Nothing more fun than an irritated grizzly bear," I agreed dryly, nodding distractedly as I tried to get a grip on myself.

He snickered, shaking his head. "Tell me what ya _really_ thinkin'."

"I'm trying to picture it; but I can't," I admitted. "How do you hunt a bear without weapons?"

"Oh, we got weapons." He flashed his bright teeth in a brief, threatening smile. I suppressed a shiver that had nothing to do with fear, before it could expose me. He was always so tetchy about my reactions. "They just ain't the kind they consider writin' hunting laws. Ya ever seen a bear attack, on television?" He asked, waving his brows as I nodded slowly. "Then ya oughta able to imagine Craig huntin'."

I couldn't stop the next shiver that flashed down my spine. I peeked across the cafeteria toward Craig, grateful that he wasn't looking my way. The thick bands of muscle that wrapped his arms and torso were somehow even more noticeable now. I bit my lip, shifting slightly in my seat when I thought he wouldn't notice. The hot flush persisted.

Jake followed my gaze and chuckled. I stared at him, awed.

"Are you like a bear, too?" I asked in a low voice.

"More like the wolf, or so they tell me," he said lightly. "Maybe we are what we eat." He added, snickering to himself quietly.

I tried to smile. "Perhaps," I repeated. But my mind was filled with opposing images that I couldn't merge together. "Is that something I might get to see?"

"Don't be such a fuckin' idiot, Taylor." His face turned even whiter than usual, and his eyes were suddenly furious. I leaned back, stunned and; though I'd never admit it to him, hurt by his reaction.

Jake leaned back as well, folding his arms across his chest.

"Too scary for me?" I asked when I could control my voice again.

"If that were it, I'd take ya out right bloody now," he said, his voice cutting. "Ya need a decent goddamn dose of fear. Nothin' could be better for ya."

"Then why?" I pressed, trying to ignore his angry expression.

He glared at me for a long minute.

"Later," he finally said. He was on his feet in one lithe movement. "We're gonna be late."

I glanced around, startled to see that he was right and the cafeteria was nearly vacant. When I was with him, the time and the place were such a muddled blur that I completely lost track of both. I jumped up, grabbing my bag from the back of my chair.

"Later, then," I agreed with a pout. I wouldn't forget.


	11. Complicated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gooooosh ♡
> 
> There has been so much loooove put into this. Tis a glorious baby, born of awesome and... uh, something else i guess
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is pretty darn cool; i hope yoi feel that way too of course... otherwise i have a really big head.
> 
> So, thankyou so much for reading ♡ we appreciate all your support and that you came to read our aforementioned baby XD
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Complicated**

Everyone watched us as we walked together to our shared table. I noticed that he no longer angled the chair to sit as far from me as the desk would allow. Instead, he sat quite close beside me, our arms _almost_ touching. I caught Myra's eye, and she grinned at me, wiggling her brows suggestively. I blushed, and looked away. Though, this made me look towards Jake. And while he claimed he couldn't read my mind, my expression was clearly easy to decipher. He smirked, but it looked pained at the same time.

Mr. Chalmers backed into the room then; what superb timing the man had, pulling a tall metal frame on wheels that held a heavy-looking, outdated TV and VCR. Another movie day; the lift in the class atmosphere was almost tangible. Mr. Chalmers shoved the tape into the reluctant VCR and walked to the wall to turn off the lights.

And then, as the room went black, I was suddenly hyper aware that Jake was sitting less than an inch from me. I was stunned by the unexpected electricity that flowed through me, amazed that it was possible to be more aware of him than I already was. The crazy impulse to reach over and touch him, to stroke his perfect face just once in the darkness, nearly overwhelmed me. I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, my hands balling into fists.

I was losing my mind.

The opening credits began, lighting the room by a token amount. My eyes, of their own accord, flickered to him. I smiled sheepishly as I realized his posture was identical to mine, fists clenched under his arms, right down to the eyes, peering sideways at me. He grinned back, his eyes somehow managing to smolder, even in the dark. I looked away before I could start hyperventilating. It was absolutely ridiculous that I should feel dizzy.

The hour seemed very long. I couldn't concentrate on the movie; I didn't even know what subject it was on. I tried unsuccessfully to relax, but the electric current that seemed to be originating from somewhere in his body never slackened. Occasionally I would permit myself a quick glance in Jake's direction, but he never seemed to relax, either. The overpowering craving to touch him also refused to fade, and I crushed my fists safely against my ribs until my fingers were aching with the effort. I breathed a sigh of relief when Mr. Chalmers flicked the lights back on at the end of class, and stretched my arms out in front of me, flexing my stiff fingers slowly.

Jake chuckled beside me. "Well... _that_ was interestin'," he murmured. His voice was dark and his eyes were cautious.

"Umm," was all I was able to respond. I wasn't sure if I was even breathing properly anymore; everything was still so foggy, my entire body stiff from the hour of enforced rigidity.

"Shall we?" he asked, rising fluidly.

I almost groaned. Time for Gym. I stood with care, worried my balance might have been affected by the strange new intensity between us.

Jake walked me to my next class in silence, which was a big improvement from Brian walking me and it pleased me that he was still keeping a wide berth between us. He paused at the door; I turned to say goodbye. His face startled me, his expression was torn, almost pained, and so fiercely beautiful that the ache to touch him flared as strong as before. My goodbye stuck in my throat.

Jake raised his hand, hesitant, conflict raging in his eyes, and then swiftly brushed the length of my cheekbone with his fingertips. His skin was as icy as ever, but the trail his fingers left on my skin was alarmingly warm; like I'd been burned, but didn't feel the pain of it yet. He turned without a word and strode quickly away from me.

I walked into the gym, lightheaded and wobbly. I drifted to the locker room, changing in a trance-like state, only vaguely aware that there were other people surrounding me. Reality didn't fully set in until I was handed a racket; and even then it was still heavily clouded by the memory of his touch against my skin. It wasn't heavy, yet it felt very unsafe in my hand. I could see a few of the other kids in class eyeing me furtively. Coach Burke ordered us to pair up into teams. 

Mercifully, some vestiges of Caleb's chivalry still survived; he came to stand beside me.

"Do you want to be a team?"

"Thanks, Caleb... you don't have to do this, you know." I grimaced apologetically.

"Don't worry, I'll keep out of your way." He grinned. Sometimes it was so easy to like Caleb, enough that I can forget about him making that stuff up about me being his date for the last dance of this year. I made a mental note to talk to him about that at the end of the awful hour ahead of us.

It didn't go smoothly. I somehow managed to hit myself in the head with my racket and clip Caleb's shoulder on the same swing. I spent the rest of the hour in the back corner of the court, the racket held safely behind my back. Despite being handicapped by me and finally cleared to play after his recovery, Caleb was pretty good; he won three games out of four single handedly. He gave me an unearned high five when the coach finally blew the whistle ending class.

"So," he said as we walked off the court.

"So what?"

"You and McKenzie, huh?" he asked, his tone concerned.

My previous feeling of affection disappeared. "That's none of your business, Caleb," I warned firmly, internally cursing Zoe straight to the fiery pits of Hades.

"I don't like it," he muttered anyway.

"You don't have to," I snapped.

"He looks at you like… like you're something to eat," Caleb continued, ignoring me. "it worries me."

I choked back the hysteria that threatened to explode, but a small giggle managed to get out despite my efforts. He glowered at me. "Thanks, but I can handle myself." I said, beginning to storm away before whirling around and jabbing my finger into his shoulder. "I am gonna say this once; and once only. Who I do or do not have feelings for is neither your concern; or open for your commentary, alright?" I demanded, poking my finger to Caleb's shoulder again as he blinked in surprise. "I don't care how anyone thinks he looks at me, I don't care if he doesn't have anyone's approval. You know why? Because _I_ get to damn well decide who I lo—" I coughed, biting back the word with a scowl. "Not you, not Zoe, not Brian; not even goddamn Jake, okay? So, unless I ask; keep your goddamn opinions to yourself, got it?"

I turned away even as Caleb nodded mutely, startled by my outburst almost as much as I was. 

_What the hell was that?_ I wondered, blinking dazedly as I stalked back to the changing room at my full height of five foot four; feeling like it was ten foot four. I wasn't sure just what it was about Jake McKenzie which made me feel like a confident, semi-capable human being, but I wasn't about to let anyone take it away from me.

I smirked proudly as I stomped into the locker room. I dressed quickly, something stronger than butterflies battering recklessly against the walls of my stomach, my argument with Caleb already a distant memory. I was wondering if Jake would be waiting, or if I should meet him at his car. What if his family were there? I felt a wave of real terror.

Did they know that I knew? Was I supposed to know that they knew that I knew, or not?

By the time I walked out of the gym, I had just about decided to walk straight home without even looking toward the parking lot. But my worries were unnecessary. Jake was waiting, leaning casually against the side of the gym, his breathtaking face untroubled, if slightly cautious now. As I walked to his side, I felt a peculiar sense of release.

"Hey you," I breathed, smiling hugely.

"Hey." His answering grin was brilliant. "How was Gym?"

My face fell a tiny bit. "Fine," I lied.

"Really?" He was unconvinced.

Jake's eyes shifted their focus slightly, looking over my shoulder and narrowing. I glanced behind me to see Caleb's back as he walked away.

"What?" I demanded.

His eyes slid back to mine, still tight. "I'm still bloody pissed with Crandall, and now Mitchell's made it to the list, too." He said curtly, running his eyes over me curiously. "Go ahead and run 'im over."

"You... you were listening again?" I was horror-struck. All traces of my sudden good humor vanished. Had he heard my tirade? I desperately hoped not, but suddenly the cautious look in his clear eyes made a lot more sense to me.

"How's ya head?" he asked with a smirk he didn't even bother holding in.

"You're unbelievable!" I turned, stomping away in the general direction of the parking lot, though I still hadn't ruled out walking at this point.

He kept up with me easily. "Ya got me wonderin', mentionin' how I'd never seen ya in action at gym... or lack thereof." Jake shook his head, "I stand with what I said, ya a walking disaster." He teased, so I ignored him.

We walked in silence; a furious, embarrassed silence on my part, to his car. But I had to stop a few steps away; a crowd of people, all boys, were surrounding it.

Then I realized they weren't surrounding the Audi, they were actually circled around Zahra's black jeep, unmistakable lust in their eyes. None of them even looked up as Jake slid between them to open his door. I climbed quickly in the passenger side, also unnoticed.

"Eyesore," he muttered.

"What kind of car is that?" I asked.

"A Wrangler."

"I don't speak Car and Driver."

"It's a seventy fifth anniversary Jeep." He rolled his eyes, not looking at me, trying to back out without running over the car enthusiasts.

I nodded; I'd heard of that one.

"Ya still angry?" he asked as he carefully maneuvered his way out.

"Definitely."

He sighed. "Ya forgive me if I apologize?"

"Maybe… if you mean it. And if you promise not to do it again," I insisted. Honestly I was gonna forgive him before the day was up anyway, but I wasn't about to let him know that.

His eyes were suddenly shrewd. "How 'bout if I mean it, and let ya drive Saturday?" he countered my conditions.

I considered, and decided it was probably the best offer I would get. "Deal," I agreed.

"Then I'm very sorry I upset ya." Jake's eyes burned with sincerity for a protracted moment; playing havoc with the rhythm of my heart, and then turned serious for a moment. "So, what was that ya were sayin' to Mitchell, exactly? Somethin' 'bout lo—"

"Don't freaking push it, jerk." I bit out, scowling at him as he watched the road unravel before us. "I might have said I forgave you, but that doesn't mean I can't change my mind if you're gonna start grumping all over my... my... my awesome show of, uh... awesome..."

"And ya were doin' so well, then, too..." Jake snorted, rolling his eyes as they turned playful, blessedly letting the subject drop for now. "And I'll be on ya doorstep bright and early Saturday mornin'."

"Um, it doesn't help with the Scott situation if an unexplained Audi is left in the driveway."

His smile was condescending now. "Who said 'bout bringin' my car?"

"But then—"

He cut me off. "Don't waste sleep over it. I'll be there, no car."

I let it go. I had a more pressing question. "Is it later yet?" I asked significantly.

He frowned. "I s'pose it is."

I kept my expression polite as I waited.

Jake stopped the car. I looked up, surprised; of course we were already at Scott's house, parked behind the truck. It was easier to ride with him if I only looked when it was over. When I looked back at him, he was staring at me, measuring with his eyes.

"And ya still want to know why ya can't see me hunt?" He seemed solemn, but I thought I saw a trace of humor deep in his eyes.

"Well," I clarified, "I was mostly wondering about your reaction."

"Did I frighten ya?" Yes, there was definitely humor there.

"No," I said honestly. He didn't buy it. I scowled with frustration. What did it take to make this man believe I wasn't bloody afraid of him?

"I'm sorry for scarin' ya," he persisted with a slight smile, but then all evidence of teasing disappeared. "'S just the thought of ya bein' there… while we hunted." His jaw tightened.

"That would be bad?"

He looked over at me darkly and but out a single word from between clenched teeth. "Duh."

"Because… ?"

Jake took a deep breath and stared through the windshield at the thick, rolling clouds that seemed to press down, almost within reach. "When we hunt," he spoke slowly, unwillingly, "we give ourselves over to our senses… govern less with our minds. Especially our sense of smell. If _you_ were anywhere near me when I lost control that way…" He shook his head, still gazing morosely at the heavy clouds. I kept my expression firmly under control, expecting the swift flash of his eyes to judge my reaction that soon followed. My face gave nothing away.

But our eyes held, and the silence deepened; and changed. Flickers of the electricity I'd felt this afternoon began to charge the atmosphere as he gazed unrelentingly into my eyes. It wasn't until my head started to swim that I realized I wasn't breathing. When I drew in a jagged breath, breaking the stillness, he closed his eyes.

"Taylor, I think ya oughta head in now." His low voice was rough, his eyes on the clouds again.

I opened the door, and the arctic draft that burst into the car helped clear my head. Afraid I might stumble in my woozy state, I stepped carefully out of the car and shut the door behind me without looking back. The whir of the automatic window unrolling made me turn.

"Oh, Taylor?" he called after me, his voice more even. He leaned toward the open window with a faint smile on his lips.

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow it's my turn."

"Your turn to what?"

He smiled wider, flashing his gleaming teeth. "Ask the questions."

And then he was gone, the car speeding down the street and disappearing around the corner before I could even collect my thoughts. I smiled as I walked to the house. It was clear he was planning to see me tomorrow, if nothing else.

That night Jake starred in my dreams, as usual. However, the climate of my unconsciousness had changed. It thrilled with the same electricity that had charged the afternoon, and I tossed and turned restlessly, waking often in a heavy sweat with more than one hard on insisting I see to it. I ignored the irritation, but it was still only in the early hours of the morning that I finally sank into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

When I woke I was still tired, but edgy as well. I pulled on a dark green polo shirt and the inescapable jeans, sighing as I replayed some of my more vivid dreams until the returning swell of arousal threatened. Breakfast was the usual, quiet event I expected. Scott fried eggs for himself; I had my bowl of cereal. I wondered if he had forgotten about this Saturday. He answered my unspoken question as he stood up to take his plate to the sink.

"About this Saturday…" he began, walking across the kitchen and turning on the faucet.

I cringed. "Yes, Dad?"

"Are you still set on going to Seattle?" he asked.

"That was the plan."

I grimaced, wishing he hadn't brought it up so I wouldn't have to compose careful half-truths. I hated lying, especially to Scott, who was firm but lenient at the same time with me, as he trusted me that much. And I really didn't want to break his trust. It was hard enough that I haven't come clean to him yet about my ambiguous but very much present relationship with Jake.

He squeezed some dish soap onto his plate and swirled it around with the brush. "And you're sure you can't make it back in time for the dance?"

"I'm not going to the dance, Dad." I glared.

"Didn't anyone ask you?" Scott asked, trying to hide his concern by focusing on rinsing the plate. And I realized the real issue behind the question.

I sidestepped the minefield. "It's a girl's choice."

"Oh." He frowned as he dried his plate.

I sympathized with him. It must be a hard thing, to be a father; living in fear that your son would meet a girl he liked and if the girl was good enough, but also having to worry if he didn't. Now, Scott had two very gay sons, pan in Jordan's case; and he had to worry about the limited options. While Jordan was covered, and I didn't really have limited options, I was picky. How ghastly it would be, I thought, shuddering, if dad had even the slightest inkling of exactly what I did like.

Scott left then, with a goodbye wave, and I went upstairs to brush my teeth and gather my books. When I heard the cruiser pull away, I could only wait a few seconds before I had to peek out of my window. The silver car was already there, waiting in Scott's spot on the driveway. I bounded down the stairs and out the front door, wondering how long this bizarre routine would continue.

I never wanted it to end.

Jake waited in the car, not appearing to watch as I shut the door behind me without bothering to lock the dead-bolt. I walked to the car, pausing shyly before opening the door and stepping in. He was smiling, relaxed; and, as usual, perfect and beautiful to an excruciating degree.

"Mornin' Taylor." His voice was musical. "How're ya doin'?" His eyes roamed over my face, as if his question was something more than simple courtesy.

"Good, thank you." I was always good; much more than good, when I was near him. "You?"

"I'm better now." His gaze lingered on the circles under my eyes. "Ya look tired."

"I couldn't sleep," I confessed, running my hand up into my hair in the hopes that my arm would hide my burning cheeks. He didn't need to know_ why_ I couldn't sleep, after all.

"Neither could I," he teased as he started the engine. I was becoming used to the quiet purr. I was sure the roar of my truck would scare me, whenever I got to drive it again.

I laughed. "I guess I slept just a little bit more than you did, then."

"I'd wager ya did."

"So what did you do last night?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Not a chance. It's my day to ask questions."

"Oh, that's right. What do you want to know?" My forehead creased. I couldn't imagine anything about me that could be in any way interesting to him.

"What's ya favorite color?" he asked, his face grave.

I rolled my eyes. "It changes from day to day."

"What's your favorite colour _today?"_ He was still solemn.

"Probably white." I tended to dress according to my mood.

He snorted, dropping his serious expression. "White?" he asked skeptically.

"Sure. White is pure, and I think it's cool. Just like snow, and I know color doesn't really affect it in any way, but I think of how it fits with the notion of being chill." I gushed. "And I love that it can get cold enough in Cedar Cove that it snows, without it officially being winter."

"Most people consider blue to mean 'cool' or 'chill.'" Jake mused, "Damn phone emoji's prove that."

I shrugged, "Matter of perspective." I said. "I think 'gentle' and 'soothing' when I see blue." No need to fill him in with the exact reason I thought that.

Jake seemed fascinated by my little musing. He considered for a moment, staring into my eyes. "Ya right," he decided, serious again. "White is cool." Jake hums, and I noted his lack of comment regarding my assessment of blue. He reached over, swiftly, but somehow still hesitantly, to brush up my spikes a bit.

I wish it had lingered longer.

We were at the school by now. He turned back to me as he pulled into a parking space.

"What music's in ya CD player right now?" he asked, his face as somber as if he'd asked for a murder confession

I realized I'd never removed the CD Jim had given me. When I said the name of the band, he smiled crookedly, a peculiar expression in his eyes. He flipped open a compartment under his car's CD player, pulled out one of thirty or so CDs that were jammed into the small space, and handed it to me.

"John Lee Hooker to this?" He raised an eyebrow.

It was the same CD. I examined the familiar cover art, keeping my eyes down. It continued like that for the rest of the day. While he walked me to Technology, when he met me after Programming, all through the lunch hour, he questioned me relentlessly about every insignificant detail of my existence. Movies I'd liked and hated, the few places I'd been and the many places I wanted to go, book genres I was into, my hiking endeavors... and I tried not to be offended by the surprise expression he gave me for that. He wanted to know all my favourite music, endless songs.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd talked so much. More often than not, I felt self-conscious, certain I must be boring him. But the absolute absorption of his face, and his never-ending stream of questions, compelled me to continue. Mostly his questions were easy, only a very few triggering my easy blushes.

But when I did flush, it brought on a whole new round of questions.

Such as the time Jake asked my favorite gemstone, and I blurted out cerulean before thinking. He'd been flinging questions at me with such speed that I felt like I was taking one of those psychiatric tests where you answer with the first word that comes to mind. I was sure he would have continued down whatever mental list he was following, except for the blush. My face reddened because, until very recently, my favorite gemstone was garnet. It was impossible, while staring back into his cerulean eyes, not to remember the reason for the switch. And, naturally, he wouldn't rest until I'd admitted why I was embarrassed.

"Tell me," he finally commanded after persuasion failed; failed only because I kept my eyes safely away from his face.

"It's the colour of your eyes today!" I snapped, surrendering, staring down at my hands as I fiddled the strap of my bag. "I suppose if you asked me on a day you're hungry I'd say onyx." I'd given more information than necessary in my unwilling honesty, and I worried it would provoke the strange anger that flared whenever I slipped and revealed too clearly how obsessed I was. "And then, if you were... you know, lifting a van or something; I'd probably say topaz!" I hadn't meant to rant so much, but once started the verbal vomit wouldn't cease.

But his pause was very short.

"What type o' grub ya into?" He fired off.

I sighed in relief, and continued with the psychoanalysis.

English Lit was a complication again. Jake had continued with his quizzing up until Mr. Chalmers entered the room, dragging with another box a photo frames. As he explained we'd be the similar activity that we did on Wuthering Heights at the start of the semester, only this time with The Great Gatsby, I noticed Jake slide his chair slightly farther away from mine. It didn't help. As soon as the boxes and worksheets were passed, and I spread the photos across our shared table, there was that electric spark, the restless craving to stretch my hand across the short space and touch his cold skin; except it was worse.

Jake arranged for me to do most of the writing the labels on my side while he worked on the photos on his. This time, I didn't feel the need to try and outdo him. It was more of a competition right now with me against my self-control.  
  
I leaned forward on the table, holding myself up with my elbows, writing the order based on what Jake was showing me as I fought to ignore the irrational longing that unsettled me. I blamed my dreams, firing my imagination and fueling my body with arousal while I'd slept, however little or restlessly it might have been. I didn't to even glance at him today, too afraid that if I found him looking back at me, it would only make my already limited self control impossible. I couldn't really concentrate at what I had been trying to scrawl down on the worksheet. At one point, I made one to many mistakes, either by getting the order mixed up again or misspelling Nick and Jay's name to my name and Jake's; my body on fire, yearning for him to reach over and cool me down with his cold skin, but somewhere in the recesses of my mind I knew it was a vain hope.

At the end of the hour, I had stopped writing entirely and Jake had to take the worksheet from me to finish the task. While Mr. Chalmers passed us to collect our worksheet, I barely noticed the quirk of his brow at the disorganized worksheet; I had no idea what I'd just been staring at; lost in thoughts and images inside my head which were certainly not suitable for when I was in public.

I sighed in relief again when Mr. Chalmers moved alone and didn't bother questioning what was up with our worksheet. Exhaling a deep and trembling breath as I finally glanced at Jake.

I licked my lips and shivered. He was looking at me, his eyes bright and dark at once. 

Jake rose in silence and then stood still, waiting for me. I took my time gathering my things, my movements slow as I waited for the rest of the class to leave ahead of me. If Jake guessed the reason for my hesitance, he was at least enough of a gentleman to not bring attention to it. We walked toward the gym in silence, like yesterday. And, also like yesterday, he touched my face wordlessly; this time with the back of his cool hand, stroking once from my temple to my jaw; before he turned and walked away. 

Gym passed quickly as I watched Caleb's one-man badminton show. He didn't speak to me today, either in response to my vacant expression or because he was still angry about our squabble yesterday. Somewhere, in a corner of my mind, I felt bad about that. But I couldn't concentrate on him. I hurried to change afterward, ill at ease, knowing the faster I moved, the sooner I would be with Jake. The pressure made me more clumsy than usual, but eventually I made it out the door, feeling the same release when I saw him standing there, a wide smile automatically spreading across my face. He grinned in reaction before launching into more cross-examination.

His questions were different now, though, not as easily answered. He wanted to know what about home, insisting on descriptions of anything he wasn't familiar with. We sat in front of Scott's house for hours, as the sky darkened and rain plummeted around us in a sudden deluge. I tried to describe impossible things like the scent of my brother's hair gel; too bland for me, slightly too tacky, but still well suited to him. The way Jordan and I would play rock paper scissors for control over the tv remote; and how he would always cheat. The sound of my mom's voice, the feathery tall trees, the long pier where the sun would set slowly, peeking through the supports playfully and seeming to split the beach into a hundred different world's all at once. The hardest thing to explain was why it was all beautiful to me; but yet why I didn't miss it nearly as much as everyone expected me to... why I felt freer in Cedar Cove, than I ever had in Sunset Beach. I found myself using my hands as I tried to describe things to him. 

His quiet, probing questions kept me talking freely, forgetting, in the dim light of the storm, to be embarrassed for monopolizing the conversation. Finally, when I had finished detailing my cluttered room at home, he paused instead of responding with another question.

"Are you finished?" I asked in relief.

"Not in the slightest; but ya Pa will be home soon."

"Scott!" I suddenly recalled his existence, and sighed. I looked out at the rain-darkened sky, but it gave nothing away. "How late is it?" I wondered out loud as I glanced at the clock. I was surprised by the time; Scott would be driving home now.

"'S twilight," Jake murmured, looking at the western horizon, obscured as it was with clouds. His voice was thoughtful, as if his mind were somewhere far away. I stared at him as he gazed unseeingly out the windshield.

I was still staring when his eyes suddenly shifted back to mine. 

"'S the safest time of day for us," he said, answering the unspoken question in my eyes. "The easiest time. But also the saddest, ya know? End of 'nother day, return of the night. Darkness is so empty, don't ya think?" He smiled wistfully.

"I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars." I frowned. "Not that you see them here much. Still, more than Sunset beach, I guess."

He laughed, and the mood abruptly lightened. "Papa Chief will be 'round in a few. So, unless ya wanna to tell 'im that ya'll be with me Saturday…" He raised one eyebrow.

"Thanks, but no thanks." I gathered my books, realizing I was stiff from sitting still so long. "So is it my turn tomorrow, then?"

"Uh, that's a negative, Boy Scout." His face was teasingly outraged. "I told ya I ain't finish with ya yet, didn't I?"

"What more is there?"

"Ya'll find out tomorrow." Jake reached across to open my door for me, and his sudden proximity sent my heart into frenzied palpitations.

But his hand froze on the handle.

"Not good," he muttered.

"What is it?" I was surprised to see that his jaw was clenched, his eyes disturbed.

Jake glanced at me for a brief second. "'S a complication," he said glumly. He flung the door open in one swift movement, and then moved, almost cringed, swiftly away from me.

The flash of headlights through the rain caught my attention as a dark car pulled up to the curb just a few feet away, facing us.

"Ya Pa's 'round the corner," he warned, staring through the downpour at the other vehicle.

I hopped out at once, despite my confusion and curiosity. The rain was louder as it glanced off my jacket. I tried to make out the shapes in the front seat of the other car, but it was too dark. I could see Jake illuminated in the glare of the new car's headlights; he was still staring ahead, his gaze locked on something or someone I couldn't see. His expression was a strange mix of frustration and defiance. Then he revved the engine, and the tires squealed against the wet pavement. The Audi was out of sight in seconds.

"Hey, Taylor!" called a familiar, husky voice from the driver's side of the little black car.

"Diego?" I asked, squinting through the rain.

Just then, Scott's cruiser swung around the corner, his lights shining on the occupants of the car in front of me.

Diego was already climbing out, his wide grin visible even through the darkness. In the passenger seat was a much older man, a heavyset man with a memorable face; a face that overflowed, the cheeks resting against his shoulders, with creases running through the russet skin like an old leather jacket. And the surprisingly familiar eyes, black eyes that seemed at the same time both too young and too ancient for the broad face they were set in. Diego's father, Ricardo Soto Senior.

I knew him immediately, though in the more than ten years since I'd seen him last I'd managed to forget his name when Scott had spoken of him my first day here. He was staring at me, scrutinizing my face, so I smiled tentatively at him. His eyes were wide, as if in shock or fear, his nostrils flared.

My smile faded.

_'S a complication_, Jake had said.

Ricardo still stared at me with intense, anxious eyes. I groaned internally. Had Ricardo recognized Jake so easily? Could he really believe the impossible legends his son had scoffed at?

The answer was clear in Ricardo's eyes. Yes. Yes, he could.


	12. Equilibrium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been very excited to write about Taylor's Boy Scout hiking abilities!
> 
> It's insanely fun changing bellas wet blanket attitude into Taylor's enthusiasm for the outdoors.
> 
> It was fun writing the Diego and Taylor moments here, and a bit of father-son moments with Scott too.
> 
> Have a good one! Enjoy!
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Equilibrium**

"Ricardo!" Scott called as soon as he got out of the car.

I turned toward the house, beckoning to Diego as I ducked under the porch. I heard Scott greeting them loudly behind me. My dad waved a reproving finger towards Diego faux warningly.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you behind the wheel, kiddo," Scott said in a disapproving tone... That I wasn't sure was faux or not.

"Uh, er, I'm already... Well, I have a licence so..." Diego said, albeit nervously, while I unlocked the door and flicked on the porch light.

I rolled my eyes, "Dad, don't tease him."

"You're right. Guess you are taller than Tay-bear and actually look the part of someone who's no longer a minor."

I groused, "Hey, don't tease me either!"

"Can't do both, son. It's the one or the other," Scott smirked, giving me a wink. "Your choice."

"Then pick on Diego."

Diego snorted, "Rude."

"Hate to interrupt the lovely banter, folks, but anyone mind giving me a hand?"

I recognized Ricardo's resonant voice easily, despite the years. The sound of it made me feel suddenly younger, a child. I went inside, leaving the door open behind me and turning on lights before I hung up my jacket. Then I stood in the door, watching anxiously as Scott and Diego helped Ricardo out of the car and into his wheelchair.

I backed out of the way as the three of them hurried in, shaking off the rain.

"Ricky, my main man, how are you doing?"

Ricardo made a show of rolling his eyes, "Stop trying to sound like a youngster, Scotty." He said with a smirk.

"I'll have you know I'm as fresh as a spring chicken."

"Maybe to hundred year old's, you are."

Scott sniffed and turned away. "Rude." He said, and grinned towards me.

"Dad, I'm with P-W-D." I deadpanned, "Please stop." That just got a jovial laugh out of him.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," Scott mused.

"It's been too long," Ricardo answered. "I hope it's not a bad time." His dark eyes flashed up to me again, their expression unreadable.

"No, it's great. I hope you can stay for the game." 

Scott didn't watch as much sport as Ricardo Senior, but he would always make the effort to have the game on if his friend happened to stop by. I pretended not to know they made bets on the outcome, or that dad always ended up rooting for the underdog, which was usually the losing team.

Diego grinned. "I think that's the plan... our TV broke last week."

Ricardo nodded with an odd expression. "And, of course, Diego was anxious to see Taylor again," he added.

Diego shrugged, "Well, I wouldn't call it anxious. I'd say excited to see my best friend," He grinned, "And his free food."

I rolled my eyes, before waving him towards the kitchen. Still, I'm was relieved to find that Diego really thought nothing of my horrid semi-flirting attempts at the beach. "All right, this way, doofus." I snickered as I distinctly dodged a jab, but slipped on absolutely nothing and just losing equilibrium at the wrong moment. I regained myself by grabbing Diego's arm.

"Ah, sweet karma." Diego snickered.

I scowled, pushing him toward the kitchen. In any case, I was eager to escape Ricardo's searching gaze.

"Hungry Rick?"

Damn it, dad.

"Nah, I ate before we left. Diego did too," I heard Ricardo huff, "But I swear, it's like he's still a growing boy in puberty."

"How about you, dad?" I called over my shoulder as I fled around the corner.

"Sure," he replied, his voice moving in the direction of the front room and the TV. I could hear Ricardo's chair follow.

The grilled cheese sandwiches were in the frying pan and I was slicing up a tomato. I turned and told Diego to grab a bowl of cheese sticks and heat it up in the microwave. They were getting old, best to finish them up before they spoil.

"I thought you said they were cheese sticks."

"They are."

"They're triangular!"

I rolled my eyes, "Just eat."

"Fine," Diego snorted, "But if you end up poisoning me... Holy shit! This is awesome! How did you—"

I winked, "Experimenting. Scott bought wanton wrapper instead of the actual one for actual cheese sticks. And I didn't want it to go to waste," I puffed out my chest proudly. "It's all in the quality of the cheese and the crispiness of the wanton wrapper when fried just right."

Diego made an exaggerated bow towards me like I'm royalty. "Consider me enlightened, cheese stick master."

I laughed. It was so good to hang out with Diego again, I wasn't sure how I even forgot about him. I guess the minds of ten year olds are easily swayed once high school starts.

Then, since I got back home, I'd been preoccupied with stupid, infuriating, gorgeous, vampires. I guess, maybe that made me the stupid one, considering most people would have run away... But it was really difficult not to think about Jake most of the time.

"So, how are things?" Diego asked as he took another cheese _stick_, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Pretty good." I smiled. His enthusiasm was hard to resist. "How about you? Did you finish your car?"

"No." Diego frowned. "I still need parts. We borrowed that one." He pointed with his thumb in the direction of the front yard.

"Sorry. I haven't seen any… What was it you were looking for?"

"A sixty seven, Chevy gearbox." Diego grinned. "And you don't have to pretend you know anything about cars..."

"Damn, I've been found out."

Diego just laughed in response. "By the way," He continued, "Is something wrong with the truck?" he added suddenly. "I mean, if you need a tune up, I'll be more than happy to oblige in exchange for more cheese sticks..."

I snickered, "Dude, you don't have to bribe me for it." I said. "Anyway, the truck's fine."

"Oh. I just wondered because you weren't driving it."

I stared down at the pan, pulling up the edge of a sandwich to check the bottom side. "I got a ride with a friend."

"Nice ride." Diego's voice was admiring. "I didn't recognize the driver, though. I thought I knew most of the kids around here."

I nodded noncommittally, keeping my eyes down as I flipped sandwiches.

"My dad seemed to know him from somewhere."

"Diego, could you hand me some plates? They're in the cupboard over the sink."

"Sure."

Diego got the plates in silence. I hoped he would let it drop now. "So who was it?" he asked, setting two plates on the counter next to me.

I sighed in defeat. "Jake McKenzie."

To my surprise, he laughed. I glanced up at him. He looked a little embarrassed. "Guess that explains it, then," he said. "I wondered why my dad was acting so strange."

"Oh... that's right." I faked an innocent expression. "He doesn't like the Darwin's."

"And by extension, the McKenzie's." Diego snorted, "Superstitious old man," 

"You don't think he'd say anything to Scott?" I couldn't help asking, the words coming out in a low rush.

Diego stared at me for a moment, and I couldn't read the expression in his dark eyes. "I doubt it," he finally answered. "I think Scott chewed him out pretty good last time. They haven't spoken much since; tonight is sort of a reunion, I think. I don't think he'd bring it up again."

"Oh," I said, trying to sound indifferent.

Diego didn't fall for it, "Oh... I see," He grinned, wiggling his brows. "You got a bit of a thing for one of them, don't you? I mean, I heard they all look gorgeous."

"Shh!" I didn't bother hiding it. Diego would just draw attention to it more, and I didn't need that. "Don't let Scott hear!"

Diego snickered, but raised a brow at that. "Dude, you're of legal age to decide stuff without his permission."

"I love my dad, but seriously he does _ not _need to know about everything I think, feel or do," I huffed with exasperation, before cocking my head thoughtfully. "Plus, he has a gun."

He snickered once more. "Ah, I see." He nodded, "wouldn't want him to chase lover boy away, I guess."

Damn right I wouldn't, I thought. Especially if Jake would take it as a reason to stay away. 

We jostled each other playfully, before I had to get back to the sandwiches before they burned. Diego and I stayed in the front room after I carried the food out to Scott and Ricardo, pretending to watch the game while Diego chattered at me. I was really listening to the men's conversation, watching for any sign that Ricardo was about to rat me out, trying to think of ways to stop him if he began. It was a long night. I had a lot of coursework that was going undone, but I was afraid to leave Ricardo alone with Scott.

Finally, the game ended.

"Are you and your friends coming back to the beach soon?" Diego asked as he pushed his father over the lip of the threshold.

"I'm not sure," I hedged. "But just send me a text, and you can come over anytime, you know." I said, giving him my number on a slip of paper, as he hadn't brought his phone with him.

"Awesome." Diego grinned, "Make more of your triangular cheese sticks again. A lot of them."

I intoned sarcastically. "As you command, your highness." 

"That was fun, Scott," Ricardo said.

"Come up for the next game," Scott encouraged.

"Sure, sure," Ricardo said. "We'll be here. Have a good night." His eyes shifted to mine, and his smile disappeared. "You take care, Taylor," he added seriously.

"Sure," I muttered, looking away.

I headed for the stairs while Scott waved from the doorway.

"Wait, Taylor," he said. I cringed. Had Ricardo gotten something in before I'd joined them in the living room? But Scott was relaxed, still grinning from the unexpected visit.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to you tonight. How was your day?"

"Good." I hesitated with one foot on the first stair, searching for details I could safely share. "My badminton team won all four games."

"Wow, I thought you were a mess at all sports."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes. Thank you for reminding me of my shortcomings, dad." I deadpanned, and Scott simply chuckled. "Anyway, yeah, you're right. But my partner is really good," I admitted.

"Who is it?" he asked with token interest.

"Um… Caleb Mitchell," I told him reluctantly.

"Oh yeah; you said you were friends with the Mitchell kid." He perked up, and I'm somehow relieved he forgot about that little not-really accident he got me in. "Nice family." He mused for a minute. "Why didn't you ask him to the dance this weekend?"

"Dad!" I groaned. "Again, it's girls' choice. And he's already going with Kara."

"What about Brian?"

I made a face, having a sudden urge to tell him about Port Royale, but I held off. "He's sort of dating my friend Zoe. She has a pretty solid thing for him just now." I shrugged. "There's an unspoken off-limits rule about that, you know."

"Didn't seem to stop you when Jordan had a crush on Rory..." Scott hummed teasingly, and I turned away in irritation. He laughed, of course. "Or, was it the other way around and Jordan broke the code?"

"Of all the things you could remember from our high school days..."

Scott made a show of being offended, "I remember every little thing you told me over our emails, Tay-Bear," He winked, "like that Jordan dared you to..."

"Dad!"

Finally, Scott had mercy on me and I was just relieved that Diego and Ricardo had already left. Nothing would stop him from trying to embarrass me in front of my best friend. God, Diego would so use it against me too... for more free food.

"Well, I guess it's good you'll be gone Saturday… I've made plans to go to a Train model expo with some guys at the station. The weather's supposed to be real warm though. So, if you wanted to put your trip off, I'd stay and we could go hiking. It's been a while, I know I leave you here alone too much. Half days on weekends aren't enough time."

"Dad, you're doing a great job." I smiled, hoping my relief didn't show, but the sincerity of my words did. "I've never minded being alone; I'm too much like you." I winked at him, and he smiled his crinkly-eyed smile. "Besides, we can't half-ass a hiking trip, especially the first one we'd go on in a while! Go big, or go home, right?"

Scott chuckled. "That's true. I'll be sure to file a leave for that. Start thinking of activities, kiddo."

I slept better that night, too tired to dream again; which was beyond a relief. When I woke to the pearl gray morning, my mood was blissful. The tense evening with Ricardo and Diego seemed harmless enough now; I decided to forget it completely. I caught myself whistling while I was pulling the front part of my hair up into especially rebellious spikes, and later again as I practically skipped down the stairs.

Scott noticed. "You're cheerful this morning," he commented over breakfast.

I shrugged. "It's Friday."

I hurried so I would be ready to go the second Scott left. I had my bag ready, shoes on, teeth brushed, but even though I rushed to the door as soon as I was sure Scott would be out of sight, Jake was faster. He was waiting in his shiny car, windows down, engine off.

I didn't hesitate this time, climbing in the passenger side quickly, the sooner to see his face. Jake grinned his crooked smile at me, stopping my breath and my heart. I couldn't imagine how an angel could be any more glorious, even with his scruffy stubble. There was nothing about him that could be improved upon.

"How'd ya sleep?" he asked. I wondered if he had any idea how appealing his voice was.

"Fine. How was _ your _ night?"

"Pleasant." His smile was amused; I felt like I was missing an inside joke.

"Can I ask what you did this time?" I asked.

"No." He grinned. "Today's still mine."

Jake wanted to know about people today: more about Julia, her hobbies, what we'd done in our free time together. And then my dumbass brother of course, my few school friends; embarrassing me when he asked about boys I'd dated. I was relieved that I'd never really dated anyone, so that particular conversation couldn't last long. He seemed as surprised as Zoe and Cameron by my lack of romantic history.

"So ya never met _ anyone _ ya wanted?" He asked in a serious tone that made me wonder what he was thinking about.

I was grinning, cutting him a sly glance which made my heart flutter in my chest, as I answered with complete honesty. "Not in Sunset Beach."

Jake's lips pressed together into a hard line and he chose not to comment. I found myself not caring that he disliked my answer, pleased instead that this sense of bravery and confidence he inspired in me seemed to be taking root, helping me grow into a new me; who I liked a lot more than the shy, meek me that I'd previously been. 

We were in the cafeteria at this point. The day had sped by in the blur that was rapidly becoming routine.

I took advantage of his brief pause to take a bite of my bagel.

"I should've let ya drive yaself today," he announced, apropos of nothing, while I chewed.

"Why?" I demanded, blazing with embarrassment when I almost choked on my mouthful.

"I'm leavin' with Quinn after lunch."

"Oh." I blinked, bewildered and disappointed. "That's... okay, it's not that far of a walk."

He frowned at me impatiently. "I ain't gonna make ya walk home. We'll get ya truck and leave it here for ya."

"I don't have my key with me," I sighed, pouting down at the table, unable to meet his eyes, lest he read the pathetic heartache I felt. "I really don't mind walking." What I minded was losing my time with him.

He shook his head. "Ya truck'll be here, and the key'll be in the ignition; unless ya 'fraid someone might steal it." He snorted at the thought.

"Fine." I agreed waspishly, pursing my lips as I tried not to let him see how put out I was by his early departure.

Besides, I was pretty sure my key was in the pocket of a pair of jeans I wore Wednesday, under a pile of clothes in the laundry room. Even if he broke into my house, or whatever he was planning, he'd never find it. He seemed to feel the challenge in my consent. Jake smirked, overconfident.

"So where are you going?" I asked as casually as I could manage.

"Huntin'." He answered grimly. "If I'm gonna be alone with ya tomorrow, I'm gonna take whatever goddamn precautions I can." His face grew morose… and pleading. "Ya can always cancel, ya know."

I looked down, afraid of the persuasive power of his eyes. I refused to be convinced to fear him, no matter how real the danger might be. It doesn't matter, I repeated in my head. "No," I whispered, glancing back at his face. "I can't."

"Aw, hell," he murmured bleakly. His eyes seemed to darken in color as I watched. I changed the subject.

"What time will I see you tomorrow?" I asked, already depressed by the thought of him leaving now.

"That depends… it's a Saturday, d'ya wanna sleep in?" he offered.

"No," I answered too fast. He restrained a smile.

"Same as usual, then," he decided. "Will Scott be there?" He asked with badly feigned innocence.

"No, he's at a model train expo tomorrow." I beamed at the memory of how conveniently things had worked out.

His voice turned sharp. "And if ya don't come home, what'll he think?"

"I have no idea," I answered coolly. "He knows I've been meaning to do the laundry... maybe he'll think I fell in the washer."

He scowled at me and I scowled back. His anger was much more impressive than mine; but I held on nonetheless. I refused to let him make me fear him.

"What are you hunting tonight?" I asked when I was sure I had lost the glowering contest.

"Whatever we find in the park. We ain't goin' far." He seemed bemused by my casual reference to his secret realities.

"Why are you going with Quinn?" I wondered.

"Quinn's the most… supportive." He frowned as he spoke.

"And the others?" I asked timidly. "What are they?"

His brow puckered for a brief moment. "Pissed off, for the most part."

I peeked quickly behind me at his family. They sat staring off in different directions, exactly the same as the first time I'd seen them. Only now they were four; their beautiful, shaggy haired brother sat across from me, his cerulean eyes troubled.

"They don't like me," I guessed.

"That ain't it," he disagreed, but his eyes were too innocent. "They don't get why I can't just leave ya alone."

I grimaced. "Neither do I, for that matter."

Jake shook his head slowly, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling before he met my gaze again. "I told ya; ya don't see yaself clear at all. Ya ain't like anyone I've ever known. Ya fascinatin'."

I glared at him, sure he was teasing now. He smiled as he deciphered my expression. "Havin' the... advantages I do," he murmured, touching his forehead discreetly, "I got a better grasp o' human nature. People are predictable. But _you…_ ya never do what I damn well think. Ya always surprisin' me."

I looked away, my eyes wandering back to his family, embarrassed and dissatisfied. His words made me feel like a science experiment. I wanted to laugh at myself for expecting anything else; my heart crumbling like old bones in my chest.

"That part's easy enough to explain," Jake continued. I felt his eyes on my face but I couldn't look at him yet, afraid he might read the chagrin and pain in my eyes. "But there's more… and it ain't so easy to put into words—"

I was still staring at the Darwin's while he spoke. Suddenly Zahra, his dark haired and scary but still breathtaking sister, turned to look at me. No, not to look; to glare, with dark, cold eyes. I wanted to look away, but her gaze held me until Jake broke off mid-sentence and made an angry noise under his breath. It was almost a hiss.

Zahra turned her head, and I was relieved to be free. I looked back at Jake; and I knew he could see the confusion that widened my eyes. His face was tight as he explained. "Sorry 'bout that. She's just worried. Ya see… it's dangerous for more'n just me if, after spendin' so much time with ya so publicly…" He looked down.

"If?"

"If this ends… badly." He dropped his head into his hands, as he had that night in Port Royale.

Jake's anguish was plain; I yearned to comfort him, but I was at a loss to know how. My hand reached toward him involuntarily; quickly, though, I dropped it to the table, fearing that my touch would only make things worse. I realized slowly that his words should frighten me. I waited for that fear to come, but all I could seem to feel was an ache for his pain and an intense longing.

And frustration; frustration that Zahra had interrupted whatever he was about to say. I didn't know how to bring it up again. He still had his head in his hands.

I tried to speak in a normal voice. "And you have to leave now?"

"Yeah." He raised his face; it was serious for a moment, and then his mood shifted and he smiled. "It's probably for the best. Still had fifteen minutes of that dumbass movie left to endure in English Lit, and I ain't so sure I could've taken any more."

I started. Quinn, her long, vibrant red hair in flowing wave around her exquisite, elfin face and shoulders, was suddenly standing behind his shoulder. Her tall frame was willowy, graceful even in absolute stillness.

He greeted her without looking away from me. "Quinn."

"Jake," she answered, her high soprano voice almost as attractive as his.

"Quinn, Taylor; Taylor, Quinn," he introduced us, gesturing casually with his hand, a wry smile on his face.

"Hi, Taylor." Her brilliant obsidian eyes were unreadable, but her smile was friendly. "It's _so _nice to finally meet you."

Jake flashed a dark look at her.

"Hi, Quinn," I murmured shyly.

"Are you ready, mister grumpy?" she asked him playfully.

His voice was aloof. "Nearly. Meet ya at the car."

Quinn left without another word; her walk was so fluid, so sinuous that I felt a sharp pang of jealousy. Even if I was a girl; there's no way I could ever have moved like that. How was it fair they got good looks, immortality and gracefulness?

"Should I say 'have fun,' or is that the wrong sentiment?" I asked, turning back to him.

"Naw, 'have fun' works." He grinned.

"Have fun, then." I worked to sound wholehearted. I failed utterly, so of course I didn't fool him in the slightest.

"I'll try." He still grinned. "And _y__ou..._ try to be safe, yeah?"

"Safe in Cedar Cove; what a challenge."

"For _you_ it's a challenge." His jaw hardened. "Promise."

"I promise to _try_ to be safe," I recited. "I'll do the laundry tonight; that ought to be fraught with peril."

"Don't fall in," he mocked.

"I'll do my best."

He stood then, and I rose, too.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I sighed.

"Seems like a long time to ya, don't it?" he mused. I nodded glumly. 

"I'll be there in the mornin'," he promised, smiling his crooked smile. He reached across the table to touch my face, lightly brushing along my cheekbone again; seemingly unaware of the way he stopped both my heart and my breath. Then he turned and walked away. I stared after him until he was gone.

I was sorely tempted to ditch the rest of the day, at the very least Gym, but a warning instinct stopped me. I knew that if I disappeared now, Caleb and others would assume I was with Jake. And Jake was worried about the time we'd spent together publicly… if things went wrong. I refused to dwell on the last thought, concentrating instead on making things safer for him.

I intuitively knew; and sensed he did, too, that tomorrow would be pivotal. Our relationship couldn't continue to balance, as it did, on the point of a knife. We would fall off one edge or the other, depending entirely upon his decision, or his instincts. My decision was already made. Made before I'd ever consciously chosen, and I was committed to seeing it through. Because there was nothing more terrifying to me; more excruciating, than the thought of turning away from him. It was an impossibility.

I went to class, feeling dutiful. I couldn't honestly say what happened in English Lit; my mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of tomorrow. I may have daydreamed an awful lot, no doubt blushing the entire time.

In Gym, Caleb was speaking to me again; he wished me a good time in Seattle. I carefully explained that I'd canceled my trip, worried about my truck.

"Are you going to the dance with McKenzie, then?" he asked, suddenly sulky.

"No, I'm not going to the goddamn dance at all; you _ know _this."

"What are you doing, then?" he asked, too interested.

My natural urge was to tell him to butt the hell out. Instead, I lied brightly. "Laundry, and then I have to study for the Programming test or I'm going to fail."

"...is McKenzie helping you study?"

"Jake," I emphasized, "is not going to help me study. He's gone away somewhere for the weekend; and even if he weren't, it'd be _none_ of your _goddamn_ business." The lies came more naturally than usual, I noted with surprise. I also realised my careful patience had fled in light of my growing temper; so I hoped he would let it go now.

"Oh." He perked up and I felt a prickle of irritation down my spine. "You know, you could come to the dance with our group anyway; that would be cool. We'd all dance with you," he promised.

The mental image of Kara’s face made my tone sharper than necessary.

"I'm not going to the bloody dance, Caleb, okay?"

"Fine." He sulked again. "I was just offering."

When the school day had finally ended, I walked to the parking lot without enthusiasm. I didn't especially want to walk home; and I certainly didn't want to ride with anyone else, but I couldn't see how he would have retrieved my truck. Then again, I was starting to believe that nothing was impossible for him. The latter instinct proved correct; my truck sat in the same space he'd parked his Audi in this morning. I shook my head, incredulous, as I opened the unlocked door and saw the key in the ignition.

There was a piece of white paper folded on my seat. I got in and closed the door before I unfolded it.

Two words were written in his elegant script.

**Stay safe.**

The beautiful sound of my truck roaring to life made me jump. I laughed at myself.

When I got home, the handle of the door was locked, the dead bolt unlocked, just as I'd left it this morning. Inside, I went straight to the laundry room. It looked just the same as I'd left it, too. I dug for my jeans and, after finding them, checked the pockets. Empty. Maybe I'd hung my key up after all, I thought, shaking my head.

Following the same instinct that had prompted me to lie to Caleb, I called Zoe on the pretense of wishing her luck at the dance. When she offered the same wish for my day with Jake, I told her about the cancellation. She was more disappointed than really necessary for a third-party observer to be. I said goodbye quickly after that.

Scott was absentminded at dinner, worried over something at work, I guessed, or maybe his train convention, or maybe he was just really enjoying the lasagna; it was hard to tell with Scott.

"You know, Dad…" I began, breaking into his reverie.

"What's that, Tay-Bear?"

"I think you're right about Seattle. I think I'll wait until Zoe or someone else can go with me."

"Oh," he said, surprised. "Oh, okay. So, do you want me to stay home?"

"No, Dad, don't change your plans. I've got a million things to do… coursework, laundry… I need to go to the library and the grocery store. I'll be in and out all day… you go and have fun."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, Dad. Besides, your train track is in dangerous need of some new additions. There haven't been any in like; a month?" I snickered as Scott chuckled quietly. "Maybe when you're done at the expo, Ricardo Senior might be up for some fishing too?" I added innocently, proud of my smooth approach. "I mean, we're down to only a two, maybe three years supply in the freezer..."

"You're sure easy to live with, Tay-Bear." He smiled.

"I could say the same thing about you," I said, laughing.

The sound of my laughter was off, but he didn't seem to notice. I felt so guilty for deceiving him that I almost took Jake's advice and told him where I would be. Almost.

After dinner, I folded clothes and moved another load through the dryer. Unfortunately it was the kind of job that only keeps hands busy. My mind definitely had too much free time, and it was getting out of control. I fluctuated between anticipation so intense that it was very nearly pain, and an irrepressible excitement that picked at my resolve. I had to keep reminding myself that I was just going to have to wait for the morning patiently. I pulled his note out of my pocket much more often than necessary to absorb the two small words he'd written.

He wants me to be safe, I told myself again and again. I trusted him completely. I was certain that, in the end, his desire for my safety would win out over his desire to kill me. And what was my other choice; to cut him out of my life? Intolerable. Besides, since I'd come to Cedar Cove, it really seemed like my life was about him.

But a tiny voice in the back of my mind did wonder; if it would hurt very much… if it ended badly.

I was relieved when it was late enough to be acceptable for bedtime. I knew I was far too stressed to sleep, so I did something I'd never done before. I deliberately took unnecessary cold medicine; the kind that knocked me out for a good eight hours. I normally wouldn't condone that type of behavior in myself, but tomorrow would be complicated enough without me being loopy from sleep deprivation or high from a night of arousing myself on top of everything else.

While I waited for the drugs to kick in, I dried my clean hair till it was soft and tickled my forehead, and fussed over what I would wear tomorrow. With everything ready for the morning, I finally lay in my bed. I felt hyper; I couldn't stop twitching. I got up and rifled through my shoebox of CDs until I found a collection of Chopin's nocturnes. I put that on very quietly and then lay down again, concentrating on relaxing individual parts of my body. Somewhere in the middle of that exercise, the cold pills took effect, and I gladly sank into unconsciousness.

I woke early, having slept soundly and dreamlessly thanks to my gratuitous drug use. Though I was well rested, I slipped right back into the same hectic frenzy from the night before. I dressed in a rush, pulling on a white shirt and then fidgeting with my green sweater till it hung right over my shoulders; pleased at the way it emphasised the hint of muscles in my arms and chest. I sneaked a swift look out the window to see that Scott was already gone. A thin, cottony layer of clouds veiled the sky. They didn't look very lasting.

I ate breakfast without tasting the food, hurrying to clean up when I was done. I peeked out the window again, but nothing had changed. I had just finished brushing my teeth and was heading back downstairs when a quiet knock sent my heart thudding against my rib cage.

I flew to the door; I had a little trouble with the simple dead bolt, but I yanked the door open at last, and there he was. All the agitation dissolved as soon as I looked at his face, calm taking its place. I breathed a sigh of relief; yesterday's hectic haze seemed very foolish with him here.

Jake wasn't smiling at first; his face was somber. But then his expression lightened as he looked me over, and he laughed.

"Mornin’," he chuckled.

"What's wrong?" I glanced down to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything important, like shoes, or pants.

"We match." He laughed again.

I realized he had his original, dirty green jacket on, with a white shirt showing underneath, and blue jeans. I laughed with him, hiding a secret twinge of regret; why did he have to look like a runway model when I couldn't?

I locked the door behind me while he walked to the truck. He waited by the passenger door with a martyred expression that was easy to understand.

"We made a deal," I reminded him smugly, climbing into the driver's seat, and reaching over to unlock his door. "Where to?" I asked.

"Put ya damn seat belt on. I'm nervous already."

I gave him a dirty look as I complied. "Where to?" I repeated with a sigh.

"Take the one-oh-one north," he ordered.

It was surprisingly difficult to concentrate on the road while feeling his gaze on my face. I compensated by driving more carefully than usual through the still-sleeping town.

"Are ya plannin' to make it outta Cedar Cove before nightfall?"

"This truck is old enough to be your car's grandfather; have some respect," I retorted. He grumbled petulantly, but I saw his lips twitch from the corner of my eye.

We were soon out of the town limits, despite his negativity. Thick underbrush and green-swathed trunks replaced the lawns and houses. "Turn right on the one-ten," he instructed just as I was about to ask. I obeyed silently. "Now we drive until the pavement ends."

I could hear a smile in his voice, but I was too afraid of driving off the road and proving him right to look over and be sure. "And what's there, at the pavement's end?" I wondered.

"A trail."

"We're hiking?"

Thank goodness I'd worn tennis shoes at least. They wouldn't compare to proper hiking boots, but they would be better than most of my other shoes. Like my flat and smooth soled sneakers. God, it'd be a death wish wearing those now.

Then again, being with Jake, maybe I did have a death wish.

"Is that a problem?" He sounded as if he'd expected as much.

"Hell no."

I tried to make myself sound less excited than I really was, but even without proper footwear I knew I was going to be in heaven. Still, if Jake knew I was into hiking, he'd find it an additional amusement to my being a former a boy scout. 

"Don't get too excited, 's only five miles or so, and we're in no hurry."

I didn't respond to his statement, so that he wouldn't hear the overjoyed excitement in my voice.

Five miles. I was still thrilled. It would do for a warm up. Five miles of trees and nature, of fresh air and the freedom of the outdoors. This was going to be fun albeit one hell of an effort to stop myself running off in the woods.

Plus, with simple tennis shoes, I was still at the risk of stumbling a lot; which meant he might catch me. I hoped I wouldn't humiliate myself in front of Jake too much, though. It's either he would get a real kick out of my clumsy display, or he'd be pissed by how much trouble I was getting into by falling a lot.

Neither were very appealing outcomes.

We drove in silence for a while as I contemplated the coming joy.

"What're ya thinkin'?" Jake asked impatiently after a few moments.

I lied again. "Just... wondering where we're going." 

"'S a place I like goin' when the weather's nice."

We both glanced out the windows at the thinning clouds after he spoke.

"Scott said it would be warm today."

"And did ya tell Scott what ya up to?" he asked.

"Nope."

"But Leon thinks we're goin' to Seattle together?" He seemed cheered by the idea.

"No actually, I phoned her last night and told her you canceled on me; which is true."

"No one knows ya with me?" Angrily, now.

"That depends… I assume you told Quinn?"

"That's jus' fuckin' great, Taylor," Jake snapped. I pretended I didn't hear that. "Have ya had so many damn near death experiences in Cedar Cove that ya suicidal now?" he demanded when I ignored him.

"You said it might cause trouble for you… us being together publicly," I reminded him defensively. 

"So, ya worried 'bout the trouble it might cause _me_; if ya don't come home?" His voice was still angry, and bitingly sarcastic.

"Pretty much, yeah." I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road.

He muttered something under his breath, speaking so quickly that I couldn't understand.

We were silent for the rest of the drive. I could feel the waves of infuriated disapproval rolling off of him, and I could think of nothing to say. Apparently my caring about his safety the way he did mine was unacceptable.

And then the road ended, constricting to a thin foot trail with a small wooden marker. I parked on the narrow shoulder and stepped out, knowing he was angry with me and I didn't have driving as an excuse not to look at him anymore. It was warm now, warmer than it had been in Cedar Cove since the day I'd arrived, almost muggy under the clouds. I pulled off my sweater and knotted it around my waist, glad that I'd worn the light, sleeveless shirt, opening three buttons and rolling up my sleeves, eager to begin the five miles of hiking ahead of me.

I heard his door slam, and looked over to see that he'd removed his sweater, too. He was facing away from me, into the unbroken forest beside my truck.

"This way," he said, glancing over his shoulder at me, eyes still annoyed. He did a brief double take, his eyes lingering on me long enough to make my heart splutter and my face burn, a grin slowly curling over my face. Then he turned and started into the dark forest.

"The trail?" Confusion was clear in my voice as I hurried around the truck to catch up to him.

"I said there was a trail at the end of the road, not that we were taking it."

"No trail?" I asked desperately, excitement raging as I darted around him and skipped backward, giddy at the thought of true freedom.

"I ain't gonna let ya get lost." Jake said, misunderstanding me. He glanced over then, with a mocking smile, and I stifled a gasp and stumbled over my own feet.

His white shirt was sleeveless, and he wore it unbuttoned, so that the smooth white skin of his throat flowed uninterrupted over the marble contours of his chest, his perfect musculature no longer merely hinted at behind concealing clothes. Jake was too perfect, I realized with a piercing stab of despair. There was no way this godlike creature could be meant for me.

Jake stared at me, bewildered by my suddenly tortured expression.

"D'ya wanna go home?" he said quietly, a different pain than mine saturating his voice.

"No." I said quietly, my enthusiasm considerably dulled as I turned and walked forward till I was close beside him, anxious not to waste one second of whatever time I might have with him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice concerned and gentle.

I shook my head, knowing he'd only be angry to hear my thoughts about whatever limited time together. "I'm uh, wearing the wrong shoes," I answered dully. "You'll have to be very patient."

"I can manage, if I try real hard." He smiled, holding my glance, trying to lift me out of my sudden, unexplained dejection.

I tried to smile back, but the smile was unconvincing. He scrutinized my face.

"I'll take ya home," he promised.

I couldn't tell if the promise was unconditional, or restricted to an immediate departure. I knew he thought it was fear that upset me, and I was grateful again that I was the one person whose mind he couldn't hear.

"If you want me to hack through the jungle before sundown, you'd better start leading the way, because I _will_ wander off..." I said acidly. He frowned at me, struggling to understand my tone and expression.

He gave up after a moment and led the way into the forest.

It was just as glorious as I'd hoped. The way was mostly flat, and he held the damp ferns and webs of moss aside for me. When his straight path took us over fallen trees or boulders, he would move to help me. I could have clambered over myself, but then I would have missed out on Jake lifting me by the elbow; even if he did then release me instantly when I was clear. His cold touch on my skin never failed to make my heart thud erratically. Twice, when that happened, I caught a look on his face that made me sure he could somehow hear it.

I was suddenly very certain he'd heard all my hearts other erratic reactions to him; and I burned all over with embarrassment.

I tried to keep my eyes away from his perfection as much as possible, but I slipped often. Each time, his beauty pierced me through with sadness. He would never stay with a boring human like me.

For the most part, we walked in silence. Occasionally he would ask a random question that he hadn't gotten to in the past two days of interrogation. He asked about mine and Jordan's birthdays, my grade school teachers, my childhood pets; and I had to admit that after killing three fish in a row, I'd given up on the whole institution. He laughed at that, louder than I was used to; bell-like echoes bouncing back to us from the empty woods.

The trek took me most of the morning, but he never showed any sign of impatience, seeming intrigued by my enthusiasm. The forest spread out around us in a boundless labyrinth of ancient trees, and I began to be wish that we would never find our way out again. He was perfectly at ease, comfortable in the green maze, never seeming to feel any doubt about our direction.

After several hours, the light that filtered through the canopy transformed, the murky olive tone shifting to a brighter jade. The day had turned sunny, just as he'd foretold. Not for the first time since we'd entered the woods, I felt a thrill of excitement; which quickly turned to impatience.

"Are we there yet?" I teased, pretending to scowl.

"Nearly." He smiled at the change in my mood. "Ya see the brightness ahead?"

I peered into the thick forest. "Um, should I?"

He smirked. "Maybe it's too soon for _your_ eyes."

"Time to visit the optometrist," I muttered. His smirk grew more pronounced.

But then, after another hundred yards, I could definitely see a lightening in the trees ahead, a glow that was yellow instead of green. I picked up the pace, my previous excitement returning and growing with every step. He let me lead now, following noiselessly.

I reached the edge of the pool of light and stepped through the last fringe of ferns into the loveliest place I had ever seen. The meadow was small, perfectly round, and filled with wildflowers; red, pink, blue, violet, yellow, and soft white. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the bubbling music of a stream. The sun was directly overhead, filling the circle with a haze of buttery sunshine. I walked slowly, awestruck, through the soft grass, swaying flowers, and warm, gilded air. I halfway turned, wanting to share this with him, but he wasn't behind me where I thought he'd be. I spun around, searching for him with sudden alarm.

Finally, I spotted him, still under the dense shade of the canopy at the edge of the hollow, watching me with cautious eyes. Only then did I remember what the beauty of the meadow had driven from my mind; the enigma of Jake and the sun, which he'd promised to illustrate for me today.

I took a step back toward him, my eyes alight with curiosity. His eyes were wary, reluctant. I smiled encouragingly and beckoned to him with my hand, taking another step back to him. He held up a hand in warning, and I hesitated, rocking back onto my heels.

Jake seemed to take a deep breath, and then he stepped out into the bright glow of the midday sun.


	13. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First kisses always make me mush... Jake's and Taylor's especially...
> 
> I am mush
> 
> I hope you are too
> 
> Gimme mush ♡
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Confessions**

Jake in the sunlight was shocking. I couldn't get used to it, though I'd been staring at him all afternoon.

His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday's hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface. He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare. His shaggy, sandy hair spilt out like a fan beneath his head. His glistening, pale lavender eyelids were shut, though of course he didn't sleep. A perfect statue, carved from some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal.

Now and then, his lips would move, so fast it looked like they were trembling. But, when I asked, he told me he was singing to himself; it was just too low for me to hear.

While I preferred the chill of winter, I appreciated the sun, too, though the air was a bit dry for my taste. I would have liked to lie back, as he did, and let the sun warm my face. But I stayed curled up, my chin resting on my knees, unwilling to take my eyes off him. The wind was gentle; it teased at my short hair and ruffled the grass that swayed around his motionless form.

The meadow, so spectacular to me at first, paled next to his magnificence.

Hesitantly, always afraid, even now, that he would disappear like a mirage, too beautiful to be real… hesitantly, I reached out one finger and stroked the back of his shimmering hand, where it lay within my reach. I marveled again at the perfect texture, satin smooth, cool as stone. When I looked up again, his eyes were open, watching me. Cyan today, lighter, warmer after hunting. His quick smile turned up the corners of his flawless lips.

"I don't scare ya?" he asked playfully, but I could hear the real curiosity in his soft voice.

"No."

Jake smiled wider; his teeth flashed in the sun. Even his damn stubble seemed to glow with some kind of inner light. I inched closer, stretched out my whole hand now to trace the contours of his forearm with my fingertips. I saw that my fingers trembled with excitement, and knew it wouldn't escape his notice.  
  
"Do you mind?" I asked, for he had closed his eyes again.  
  
"Naw..." he said without opening his eyes. "Ya can't imagine how that feels." He sighed.  
  
I lightly trailed my hand over the perfect muscles of his arm, followed the faint pattern of bluish veins inside the crease at his elbow. With my other hand, I reached to turn his hand over. Realizing what I wished, he flipped his palm up in one of those blindingly fast, disconcerting movements of his. It startled me briefly; my fingers hesitated on his arm for a brief second.  
  
"Sorry," he murmured. I looked up in time to see his bright eyes close again. "'S too easy to be myself 'round ya."  
  
I lifted his hand, turning it this way and that as I watched the sun glitter on his palm. I held it closer to my face, trying to see the hidden facets in his skin.  
  
"Tell me what ya thinkin'," he whispered. I looked to see his eyes watching me, suddenly intent. "'S still so weird for me, not knowin'."  
  
"You know, the rest of us feel that way all the time."  
  
"'S a hard life." Did I imagine the hint of regret in his tone? "But ya didn't tell me."  
  
"I was wishing I could know what you were thinking…" I hesitated.  
  
"And?"  
  
"I was wishing that I could believe that you were real." My throat tightened, and I willed my dumb tears away, refusing to mourn him while he was still with me... even if my body wouldn't cooperate. "And I was wishing that I wasn't afraid..." I hated that my voice trembled.  
  
"I don't want ya to be 'fraid." His voice was just a soft murmur as he interrupted. I heard what he couldn't truthfully say, that I didn't need to be afraid, that there was nothing to fear.  
  
"Well... that's not exactly the fear I meant, I don't fear _you_."  
  
So quickly that I missed his movement, he was half sitting, propped up on his right arm, his left palm still in my hands. His angel's face was only a few inches from mine. I might have; should have, flinched away from his unexpected closeness, but I was unable to move. His bright blue eyes mesmerized me.  
  
"What're ya 'fraid of, then?" he whispered intently.  
  
But I couldn't answer. As I had just that once before, I smelled his cool breath in my face. Sweet, delicious, the scent made my mouth water. It was unlike anything else. My eyes fluttered closed, my brain completely shut down and unreachable. Instinctively, unthinkingly, I leaned closer, inhaling.  
  
And Jake was gone, his hand ripped from mine. In the time it took my eyes to open, he was twenty feet away, standing at the edge of the small meadow, in the deep shade of a huge fir tree. He stared at me, his eyes dark in the shadows, his expression unreadable.  
  
I could feel the hurt and shock on my face. My empty hands stung, along with my eyes.  
  
"I-I'm sorry… Jake," I whispered, swallowing thickly and looking down at my now empty hand. I knew he could hear, but I hated that for the first time, because it meant he could hear the pain and the tears in my voice.  
  
"Gimme a sec," he called, just loud enough for my less sensitive ears. I sat very still and focused on trying not to give in to the shudders in my chest. I would not bloody cry.  
  
I looked up as ten incredibly long seconds passed by. He walked back, slowly for him. He stopped, still several feet away, and sank gracefully to the ground, crossing his legs. His eyes never left mine. He took two deep breaths, and then smiled in apology.  
  
"I uh, _ahem..._ sorry." He hesitated. "D'ya understand, if I say I'm only human?"  
  
I nodded once, not quite able to smile at his joke. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins as the realization of loss slowly sank in. He could smell that from where he sat, but he misread it. His smile turned mocking.  
  
"World's best predator, ain't I? Everythin' 'bout me invites ya in. Voice, face, even my damn smell. As if I need any of it..."

Unexpectedly, he was on his feet, bounding away, instantly out of sight, only to appear beneath the same tree as before, having circled the meadow in half a second.  
  
"As if ya could outrun me," he laughed bitterly.  
  
Jake reached up with one hand and, with a deafening crack, effortlessly ripped a two-foot-thick branch from the trunk of the spruce. He balanced it in that hand for a moment, and then threw it with blinding speed, shattering it against another huge tree, which shook and trembled at the blow.  
  
And he was in front of me again, standing two feet away, still as a stone.  
  
"As if ya could fight me off," he said gently.  
  
I sat without moving, more in awe of him than I had ever been. I'd never seen him so completely freed of that carefully cultivated facade. He'd never been less human… or more beautiful. Face ashen, eyes wide and clear, I sat like a child staring at Santa.  
  
His lovely eyes seem to glow with rash excitement. Then, as the seconds passed, they dimmed. His expression slowly folded into a mask of ancient sadness.  
  
"Don't be 'fraid," he murmured, his velvet voice unintentionally seductive. "I promise…" He hesitated. "I swear not to hurt ya." He seemed more concerned with convincing himself than me. "Swear it on everythin'. So... don't be 'fraid," he whispered again as he stepped closer, with exaggerated slowness. He sat sinuously, with deliberately unhurried movements, till our faces were on the same level, just a foot apart. "Ya caught me off guard... ya always seem to." He said quietly. "I can control myself. I promise, best behavior now." He waited, but I still couldn't speak. "I ain't thirsty today, honest." He winked.  
  
At that I had to laugh, though the sound was shaky and breathless.  
  
"Ya alright?" he asked tenderly, reaching out slowly, carefully, to place his marble hand back in mine.  
  
I looked at his smooth, cold hand, and then at his eyes. They were soft, repentant. I looked back at his hand, and then deliberately returned to tracing the lines in his hand with my fingertip. I looked up and smiled.  
  
His answering grin was dazzling.  
  
"So where were ya, before I was such an ass?" he asked gently.  
  
"I honestly can't remember."  
  
He smiled, but his face was ashamed. "I think ya were sayin' 'bout why ya 'fraid, besides the obvious reason."  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
"Well?"  
  
I looked down at his hand and doodled aimlessly across his smooth, iridescent palm. The seconds ticked by.  
  
"Never thought I'd be so damn frustrated by one person," Jake sighed.

I looked into his eyes, abruptly grasping that this was every bit as new to him as it was to me. As many years of unfathomable experience as he had, this was hard for him, too. I took courage from that thought.

"Just give me a minute... you always get mad when I tell you anything. I'm trying to word it right." I said testily, glancing at him reproachfully.

Jake huffed and rolled his eyes, but did his best to be patient as I drew in a deep breath and licked my lips, hesitating a heartbeat longer, before slowly trying to string my thoughts and feelings together into words which would hopefully be coherent.  
  
"I was afraid… because, I know I can't stay with you. And I'm afraid that I'd like to stay with you, much more than you'd like me to." I looked down at his hands as I spoke. It was difficult for me to say this aloud, let alone looking at his eyes and seeing them light with anger, as they tended to when I was honest. "I'm afraid, because I know I can't keep you... I can't offer you anything. I'm... I'm just—" I trailed off in frustration, locking my jaw to bite back those traitorous tears which tried to escape me.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed slowly. "That's somethin' to be scared of. Wantin' to be with me. That's... _really_ not in ya best interest, Boy Scout."  
  
I frowned. I should ask again how he knew about that, but it's hardly the time.  
  
"I should've left ages ago," Jake sighed. "I oughta now. But, I dunno if I can."  
  
"I don't want you to leave," I mumbled pathetically, staring down again. My heart was crumbling again. I wondered distantly if he could hear that too.  
  
"Which is exactly why I oughta. But... I'm a selfish bastard. I crave ya too much to do what I oughta."  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
"Don't be!" Jake withdrew his hand, more gently this time; his voice was harsher than usual. Harsh for him, still more beautiful than any human voice. It was hard to keep up; his sudden mood changes left me always a step behind, dazed. "It's not just bein' 'round ya I crave! Never forget that. Never forget I'm more dangerous to ya than I am to _anyone_ else." Jake stopped, and I looked to see him gazing unseeingly into the forest. I thought for a moment.  
  
"I don't think I understand exactly what you mean; by that last part anyway," I said.

He looked back at me and smiled, his mood shifting yet again.  
  
"How to explain?" he mused. "And without bein' an ass again… huh." Without seeming to think about it, he placed his hand back in mine; I held it tightly in both of mine. Jake looked at our hands. "That's amazin', the warmth." He sighed distractedly.  
  
A thrill of warmth passed through me at his words; irrationally pleased that he enjoyed my touch. A moment passed as he assembled his thoughts.  
  
"Ya know how folk enjoy different flavors?" Jake began. "Some love chocolate ice cream, others prefer vanilla?"  
  
I nodded and smiled weakly, "I like both; Jury's still out which I prefer most." I said, pleased he was still with me for the time being and willing to explain. He smiled ruefully back.  
  
"'Course ya do, classic Boy Scout." Jake rolled his eyes before continuing, "Well, ya see, every person smells different, has a different uh... essence. If ya locked an alcoholic in a room full o' stale beer, he'd gladly drink it. But he _could_ resist, if he wanted, if he were a recoverin' alcoholic. Now let's say you placed in that room a glass of hundred-year-old brandy, the rarest, finest cognac; and filled the room with its warm aroma, how d'ya think he'd do then?"  
  
We sat silently, looking into each other's eyes and trying to read each other's thoughts.  
  
He broke the silence first. "Maybe that ain't the right comparison... Maybe it'd be too easy to turn down that brandy. Perhaps I should have made our alcoholic a heroin addict."

"So what you're saying is, I'm your _personal _brand of heroin?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
He smiled swiftly, seeming to appreciate my effort. "Yeah... _you_ are exactly my brand of heroin."  
  
"Does that happen often?" I asked.  
  
He looked across the treetops, thinking through his response.  
  
"I spoke to my brothers about it." He still stared into the distance. "To Kele, every one of ya's the same. He's most recent to join our family. It's a struggle for him to abstain at all. He ain't had time to grow sensitive to the differences in smell or—" He glanced swiftly at me, his expression apologetic. "Sorry," he said.  
  
"I don't mind. Please don't worry about offending me, or frightening me, or whichever." I frowned, knowing I was going to have to address his continued assumptions I was afraid or that I ever would be afraid of _him_. Now wasn't exactly the right time however, so I drew in a deep breath and smiled reassuringly instead. "It's the way you think. I can understand, or I can try to at least. Just explain however you can."  
  
Jake took a deep breath and gazed at the sky again.  
  
"So Kele weren't sure he'd ever come across someone as," he hesitated, looking for the right word. _"Endearin'_ as ya are to me. Which makes me think he ain't. Craig's been on the wagon longer, so to speak, and he understood what I meant. He says twice, for him, once stronger than the other."  
  
"And for you?"  
  
"Never."  
  
The word hung there for a moment in the warm breeze.  
  
"What did Craig do?" I asked to break the silence.  
  
It was the wrong question to ask. His face grew dark, his hand clenched into a fist inside mine. He looked away. I waited, but he clearly had no intentions if giving me a verbal answer.  
  
"I guess I know," I finally said.  
  
Jake lifted his eyes; his expression was wistful, pleading. "Even the strongest of us fall off the wagon, don't we?" His eyebrows rose in surprise when I laughed. "What?"

I snorted, my hand half rising to cover my mouth as I continued to snicker. "Are you asking for my permission?"

My voice was more amused than he would like, I knew. I could guess what his honesty must cost him, but I couldn't help it when he made himself sound like a child, pleading for sweeties. I tried to get a grip on myself, which didn't help when it made me remember my vivid dreams; but I did manage to sober myself somewhat.

"I mean... is there no hope, then?"

How calmly I could discuss my own death. It was strange, how I felt no concern, no fear. If this ended _badly _as Jake feared, I knew I still wouldn't regret a second I'd spent with him.  
  
"Naw, I didn't mean—!" Jake was instantly contrite. "'Course there's hope! I mean, I won't…" He left the sentence hanging. His eyes burned into mine. "'S different for us. Craig… they were strangers he happened across. Was a long time ago, and he weren't as… as practiced, as careful, as he is now."  
  
He fell silent and watched me intently as I thought it through.  
  
"So if we'd met… oh, in a dark alley or something…" I trailed off. I noted distantly I still wasn't afraid, merely curious.  
  
"It took everythin' I had not to jump up in the middle of that class when we first met and—" He stopped abruptly, looking away. "When ya walked past me, I could've ruined everythin' Mike's built for us, right then and there. If I hadn't been denyin' my thirst for the last, well, too many years, I wouldnt've been able to stop myself." Jake paused, scowling at the trees.

I bit my lip, "Uh, guess those... Blood-o-holic Anonymous meetings are pretty helpful then..."

I have no idea what I was trying to do, or trying to say. But I'm glad I did it, it had Jake quirk his lips in a half smile for a moment, but it was gone again before I could blink. Considering what we were talking about. He glanced at me grimly, both of us remembering.

"Ya must've thought I was possessed."  
  
"I couldn't understand why... it—" I admitted, swallowing down my pride. If he could be so open, so honest; I could only do the same. "It hurt... how you could hate me so quickly."  
  
"To me, was like ya were some kind of demon, summoned straight from some kinda personal hell to ruin me. The scent comin' off ya skin… I thought it'd make me deranged that first day. In that one hour, I thought of a hundred different ways to lure ya from the room with me, get ya alone. And I fought 'em all back, thinkin' of my family, what I'd be doin' to 'em. I had to run out, get away before I could speak any damn words that'd make ya follow…"

He looked up then at my staggered expression as I tried to absorb his bitter memories. His cerulean eyes scorched from under his lashes, hypnotic and deadly.  
  
"Ya would've come," he promised.  
  
I tried to speak calmly. "Gladly."  
  
Jake frowned down at my hands, releasing me from the force of his stare. "And then, once I calmed down, I tried rearrangin' my schedule tryin' to avoid ya, except there ya were; in that close, warm little room, the scent was maddenin'. I almost took ya then. There was only one other frail human there; easily dealt with."  
  
I shivered in the warm sun, seeing my memories anew through his eyes, only now grasping the danger. Poor Ms. Starr; I shivered again at how close I'd come to being inadvertently responsible for her death.  
  
"But I didn't. I dunno how. I forced myself not to wait for ya, not to follow ya from the campus. Was easier outside, when I couldn't smell ya anymore, to think clearly, make the right decision. I left the others near home; was too ashamed to tell 'em what was goin' on, they only knew somethin' was very fuckin' wrong. Then I went straight to Mike, at the hospital, to tell him I was leavin'."  
  
I stared in surprise.  
  
"I traded cars with him, he had a full tank of gas and I didn't wanna stop. I didn't dare to go home, to wait for the others, especially Grace. She wouldnt've let me go without a scene. She would've tried to convince me that it weren't necessary…"

I blinked in surprise as I drank all the new information in, dazed and touched in some strange way that he'd done so much to keep me safe. That he'd fought every natural urge he'd had... for me. I lowered my eyes as my heart began to race urgently, my face warming for reasons nothing to do with the sun.  
  
"By the next morning I was in Russia, in the Ural Mountains." Jake sounded ashamed, as if admitting a great cowardice. "I spent six days there, with some old pals… but I was homesick. I hated knowin' I'd upset Grace; and the rest of 'em, my adopted family. In the pure air of the mountains it was hard to believe ya were so damn potent. I convinced myself it was weak to have run away. I'd dealt with temptation before, nothin' even close to this bad of course, but I was strong. Who were _you_, an insignificant little short ass," he grinned suddenly, "to chase me outta where I wanted to be? So I came back…" He stared off into space.  
  
I couldn't speak. I could barely think. All the time I'd thought of him; hurt and angry, he'd been fighting to keep me alive. From himself. Shame flooded me.  
  
"I took precautions, huntin', feedin' more than usual before seein' ya again. I was sure that I was strong enough to treat ya like any other human. I was goddamn arrogant 'bout it." He huffed with amusement, as I sat and did my best to absorb everything that he offered to me freely. "Was a complication though, I couldn't simply read ya thoughts to know what ya reaction was to me. I wasn't used to havin' to go to extremes like, listenin' to ya words in Leon's mind… her mind ain't exactly original, and it was bloody annoyin' to have to stoop to that. Her head is a fuckin' viper pit. And even then, I couldn't know if ya really meant what ya said. It was bloody irritatin'." He frowned at the memory. "I wanted ya to forget how I acted that first day, if possible, so I tried to talk with ya like I would with anyone. I was pretty keen bein' honest, hopin' to decipher some of ya thoughts. But ya too interestin'... I found myself caught up in ya expressions… and every now and then ya'd stir the air with ya hand or shiftin' 'round in ya seat; and the scent'd stun me again."

Jake paused, shuddering as he looked away briefly, his clear eyes filled with pain as he ran them over me.  
  
"'Course... then ya nearly got crushed to death in front of my eyes. Later, I thought of a perfect excuse why I acted to save ya; because if I hadn't saved ya, if ya blood had spilled there in front of me, I don't think I could've stopped myself from exposin' us all." He paused, his eyes blazing as my heart leaped into my throat and choked the air from my lungs. "But I didn't think of that 'til later. At the time, all I could think was... 'not him.'"  
  
He closed his eyes, lost in his agonized confession. I listened, more eager than rational. Common sense told me I should be terrified. Instead, I was relieved to finally understand. And I was filled with compassion for his suffering, even now, as he confessed his craving to take my life. I finally was able to speak, though my voice was faint.

"And then... in the hospital?"  
  
His eyes flashed up to mine. "I felt like shit. I couldn't believe I'd put us in danger after all, put myself in ya power like that. _You_ of all people. As if I needed 'nother motive to kill ya." He flinched as that word slipped out; and I squeezed his hand gently.

Despite what he thought, I understood it wasn't personal, wasn't by choice that he desired my blood so fiercely. I wished I could make him understand that.

"But... it had the opposite effect," he continued quickly. "I fought with Zahra, Craig, and Kele when they suggested that now was the time…" He paused and I lowered my eyes from his beautiful face. I didn't need him to finish that sentence. "Was the worst fight we ever had. Mike sided with me, and Quinn." He grimaced when he said her name. I couldn't imagine why. "Grace told me to do whatever I had to, in order to stay." He shook his head indulgently. "All next day I eavesdropped on the minds of everyone ya spoke to, expectin' ya to say somethin' to someone... but, ya kept ya word, even when I broke mine. I didn't understand ya at all." He said, frowning at the top of my head as if he could somehow force his extra sense to work suddenly. "But I knew I couldn't get any more involved with ya. I did my best to stay away from ya... as far as possible. And every day the perfume of ya damn skin, ya breath, ya hair… it hit me as hard as that first day." He met my eyes again, and they were surprisingly tender. "For all that," he continued, "Id've fared better if I'd exposed us all at that first moment, than if, here; with no witnesses and nothin' to stop me, I hurt ya now."  
  
I was human enough to have to ask. "Why?"  
  
"Taylorence." Jake pronounced my full name carefully, then playfully ruffled my hair with his free hand. For once, I didn't feel such an immense hate for it, not coming from him at this moment. A shock ran through my body at his casual touch. "Taylor, I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt ya. Ya don't get how it's tortured me." He looked down, ashamed again. "The thought of ya, still, white, cold… to never see ya blush again, never see that flash of intuition in ya eyes when ya see through all my bullshit… it'd be a livin' nightmare." He lifted his glorious, agonized eyes to mine. "Ya the most important thing to me now... most important thing to me, _ever."_  
  
My head was spinning at the rapid change in direction our conversation had taken. From the cheerful topic of my impending demise, we were suddenly declaring ourselves. He waited, and even though I looked down to study our hands between us, I knew his clear eyes were on me.

"You already know how I feel, of course," I finally said. "I'm here… which, roughly translated, means..." I looked up and met his gaze, searching the clear orbs intently to make sure for once, he didn't misunderstand me. "I would rather die, than stay away from you." I frowned. "I'm an idiot."  
  
"Ya an idiot," Jake agreed with a laugh. Our eyes met, and I laughed, too. We laughed together at the idiocy and sheer impossibility of such a moment.  
  
"So the wolf fell in love with the whippet…" Jake murmured. I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word.  
  
"What a silly puppy," I sighed.  
  
"What a sick, masochistic wolf." He stared into the shadowy forest for a long moment, and I wondered where his thoughts had taken him.  
  
"Why… ?" I began, and then paused, not sure how to continue.  
  
He looked at me and smiled; sunlight glinted off his face, his teeth.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Tell me why you ran from me before."  
  
His smile faded. "Ya know why."  
  
"No, I mean, exactly what did I do wrong? I'll have to be on my guard, you see, so I better start learning what I shouldn't do. This, for example," I stroked the back of his hand, "seems to be all right."  
  
He smiled again. "Ya didn't do anything wrong, Taylor. Was my fault."  
  
"But I want to help," I insisted with a frown, not wanting to make things any worse for him than I already knew they were. "If I can... to not make this harder for you."  
  
"Well…" He contemplated for a moment. "'S just how close ya were. Most humans shy away from us, repelled by our perfection… I weren't expectin' ya to come so close. And the _smell_ of ya throat." He stopped short, looking to see if he'd upset me.  
  
"Okay, then," I said flippantly, trying to alleviate the suddenly tense atmosphere. I tucked my chin down against my collarbone. "No throat exposure."  
  
It worked; Jake laughed. "Nah, really, it was more surprise than anythin'."

Jake raised his free hand and placed it gently on the side of my neck. I sat very still, the chill of his touch a natural warning; a warning telling me to be terrified. But there was no feeling of fear in me. There were, however, other feelings… feelings which made my heart stammer and flutter, my face warm slowly and blood begin to gather in two very separate areas.  
  
"You see," he said. "Perfectly fine."  
  
My blood was racing, and I wished I could slow it, sensing that this must make everything so much more difficult; the thudding of my pulse in my veins. Surely he could hear it.  
  
"The blush on ya cheeks is lovely," he murmured. He gently freed his other hand. My hands fell limply into my lap. Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands.  
  
"Keep still," he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen.  
  
Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat. I was quite unable to move, even if I'd wanted to. I listened to the sound of his even breathing, watching the sun and wind play in his bronze hair, more human than any other part of him.  
  
With deliberate slowness, his hands slid down the sides of my neck. I shivered, and I heard him catch his breath. But his hands didn't pause as they softly moved to my shoulders, and then stopped. His face drifted to the side, his nose skimming across my collarbone. Somewhere along the way I forgot how to breathe; my body trembling with so many surging emotions I could barely define a single one. He came to rest with the side of his face pressed tenderly against my chest.  
  
Listening to my heart.  
  
"Ah," he sighed.  
  
I don't know how long we sat without moving. It could have been hours. Eventually the throb of my pulse quieted, remembering how to breathe as I reached to tentatively toy with the ends of his hair. It was softer than I'd expected; and surprisingly tangle free, for being so shaggy and seemingly unkempt. Jake didn't move or speak again as he held me. I knew at any moment it could be too much, and my life could end; so quickly that I might not even notice. And yet, I couldn't make myself be afraid. I couldn't think of anything, except that he was touching me.  
  
And then, too soon, he released me.  
  
His eyes were peaceful.  
  
"Won't be so hard again," he said with satisfaction.  
  
"Was that very hard for you?" I asked dazedly. I secretly hoped not, because I really wanted him to do it again already.  
  
"Not half so bad as I figured it'd be. And _you?"_  
  
"Oh it _definitely _wasn't bad for me." I said stupidly, immediately blushing at my idiot mouth for speaking before my brain was working properly.  
  
Jake smiled at my inflection. "Ya know what I meant."  
  
I smiled.  
  
"Here." He took my hand and placed it against his cheek. "Do ya feel how warm it is?"  
  
And it was almost warm, his usually icy skin. But I barely noticed, for I was touching his face, something I'd dreamed of constantly since the first day I'd seen him.  
  
"Don't move," I whispered.  
  
No one could be still like Jake. He closed his eyes and became as immobile as stone, a carving under my hand.  
  
I moved even slower than he had, careful not to make one unexpected move. I caressed his cheek, delicately stroked his eyelid, the purple shadow in the hollow under his eye. I traced the shape of his perfect nose, felt the silken tickle of his stubble against the pads of my fingers; and then, so carefully, traced his flawless lips. His lips parted under my hand, and I could feel his cool breath on my fingertips. My own breath caught in my throat. I wanted to lean in, as I had before; yearning to be closer and to discover what his lips would feel like against my own.

So I dropped my hand and leaned away, not wanting to push him too far.  
  
He opened his eyes, and they were hungry. The look he gave me caused the muscles in the pit of my stomach to tighten; and sent my pulse hammering through my veins again.  
  
"I wish," Jake whispered, "I wish ya could feel the… complexity… the confusion… I feel. That ya could understand."  
  
He raised his hand to my face, then carefully brushed the back of his knuckles across my cheek.  
  
"Tell me," I breathed.  
  
"Ain't sure I can. I told ya, on the one hand, the hunger; the thirst, that, selfish bastard that I am, I feel for ya. And I think ya can understand that, to an extent. Though," he half-smiled, "as ya ain't addicted to any illegal substances, ya probably can't completely. But…" His fingers touched my lips lightly, making me shiver again. "There are other hungers. Hungers I don't can't remember feelin' since before... before I was this." He said, gesturing vaguely at himself. "Everythin' past that is hazy... but I'm pretty damn certain I didn't feel _this_ before either."  
  
"I... may understand that better than you think." I barely managed to say, my heart racing as my thoughts clouded, my eyelashes grazing my cheek as I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch, allowing my lips to part and brush softly against the pad of his cool fingertip.  
  
"I ain't used to feelin' so human. Is it always like this?"  
  
"For me?" I paused. "No, never. Never before this... before _you."_   
  
He held my hands between his as I opened my eyes and looked up at him. They felt so feeble in his iron strength.  
  
"I dunno how to be close to ya," he admitted. "I dunno if I can."  
  
I leaned forward very slowly, cautioning him with my eyes. I placed my cheek against his stone chest. I could hear his breath, and nothing else. "This is enough," I sighed, closing my eyes. In a very human gesture, he put his arms around me and pressed his face against my hair. I didn't even care that he was squashing my spikes.  
  
"You're better at this than you give yourself credit for," I noted.  
  
"I still got some human instincts; might be buried deep, but they're there."  
  
We sat like that for another immeasurable moment; I wondered if he could be as unwilling to move as I was. But I could see the light was fading, the shadows of the forest beginning to touch us, and I sighed.  
  
"Ya gotta go."  
  
"I thought you couldn't read my mind."  
  
"'S gettin' clearer." I could hear a smile in his voice.  
  
He took my shoulders and I looked into his face.  
  
"Can I show ya somethin'?" He asked, sudden excitement flaring in his eyes.  
  
"Show me what?"  
  
"I'll show ya how I travel in the forest." He saw my expression. "Don't worry, ya'll be totally safe, and we'll get to ya truck faster." His mouth twitched up into that crooked smile so beautiful my heart nearly stopped.  
  
"Will you turn into a bat?" I asked warily.  
  
He laughed, louder than I'd ever heard. "Like I ain't heard that one before!"  
  
"Right, I'm sure you get that all the time."  
  
"C'mon, little coward, c'mere."  
  
I waited to see if he was kidding, but, apparently, he meant it. He smiled at the same moment I did, and reached for me. My heart reacted; excitement buzzing beneath my skin. Even though he couldn't hear my thoughts, my pulse always gave me away. He then proceeded to sling me onto his back, with very little effort on my part, besides, when in place, clamping my legs and arms so tightly around his sides. I tried not to imagine any other reasons to be clinging to him, distracting myself with the distant thought that it was like clinging to a stone.  
  
"I'm a bit heavier than your average backpack," I warned.  
  
"Heh!" he snorted.

I could almost hear his eyes rolling. I'd never seen him in such high spirits before.  
  
Jake startled me, suddenly grabbing my hand, pressing my palm to his face, and inhaling deeply. My heart almost damn well exploded.   
  
"Easier all the time," he muttered.  
  
And then he was running.  
  
I'd never feared death before in his presence, but I imagined if i had, it would be nothing compared to how I felt now.  
  
He streaked through the dark, thick underbrush of the forest like a bullet, like a ghost. There was no sound, no evidence that his feet touched the earth. His breathing never changed, never indicated any effort. But the trees flew by at deadly speeds, always missing us by inches.  
  
I was too exhilarated to close my eyes, though the cool forest air whipped against my face and burned them.  
  
I felt as if I were stupidly sticking my head out the window of an airplane in flight. And even though, for the first time in my life, I felt the dizzy faintness of motion sickness; I also knew I had never felt more alive.  
  
Then it was over. We'd trekked hours this morning to reach Jake's meadow, and now, in a matter of minutes, we were back to the truck.  
  
"Exhilarating, ain't it?" His voice was high, excited.  
  
I desperately wanted to answer, to sing and dance and crow that yes; this was the best thing ever, but no sound escaped me save a shivery sigh.

Jake stood motionless, waiting for me to climb down. I tried, but my muscles wouldn't respond. My arms and legs stayed locked around him while my head spun with awe and joy.  
  
"Taylor?" he asked, anxious now.  
  
"Oh... _wow_," I gasped.  
  
"Uh, sorry." he waited for me, but I still couldn't move.  
  
"I think I need a little help," I admitted.  
  
Jake laughed quietly, and gently untangled my limbs from his neck and sides. There was no resisting the iron strength of his hands. Then he pulled me around to face him, cradling me in his arms like a small child. He held me for a moment, then carefully placed me on the springy ferns.  
  
"How d'ya feel?" he asked.  
  
"Awesome!" I said instantly, able to feel the ridiculous grin on my face but unable to do anything to remove it. I couldn't be entirely sure how I really felt when my head was spinning so crazily, adrenaline and excitement still running rampant in my system. "Also dizzy..? I think."  
  
"Put ya head between ya knees."  
  
I tried that, and it helped a little. I breathed in and out slowly, keeping my head very still. I felt him sitting beside me. The moments passed, and eventually I found that I could raise my head. There was a hollow ringing sound in my ears.  
  
"Guess that weren't my best idea," he mused.  
  
I tried to scowl at such a ridiculous suggestion, but my goofy grin refused to budge. I tried to voice my displeasure instead, but my voice was still trembling from the adrenaline rush. "No, it was amazing!" I gushed, blinking owlishly in my giddy haze. "You better take me running again sometime, McKenzie..."  
  
"Heh! Ya as white as a ghost." Jake snorted with a wide grin. "Nah, ya as white as me!"  
  
"I think maybe I should have remembered to blink." I said, still smiling as I closed my eyes and tried to catch mt breath.  
  
"Remember that next time."  
  
"Next time!" I sighed blissfully, rolling my head against the side of my truck.  
  
Jake laughed, his mood still radiant.  
  
"Hmm... can't wait," I hummed.  
  
"Open ya eyes, Taylor," he said quietly.  
  
I did as he asked; and he was right there, his face so close to mine. His beauty stunned my mind; it was too much, an excess I couldn't grow accustomed to.  
  
"I was thinkin', while I was runnin'…" He paused.  
  
"About not hitting the trees?"

"Idiot," Jake chuckled. "First, my drivin' now runnin'. Speed is second nature to me, it ain't somethin' I gotta think 'bout."  
  
"Show-off," I mumbled, pouting at him.  
  
He smiled.  
  
"Nah," he continued, "I was thinkin'... there's somethin' I wanted to try." And Jake took my face in his hands again.  
  
I couldn't breathe.  
  
Jake hesitated, not in the normal way, the human way.

Not the way a man might hesitate before he kissed another man, to gauge his reaction, to see how he would be received. Perhaps he would hesitate to prolong the moment, that ideal moment of anticipation, sometimes better than the kiss itself.  
  
Jake hesitated to test himself, to see if this was safe, to make sure he was still in control of his need.  
  
My eyes fluttered closed in anticipation... and then his cold, marble lips pressed very softly against mine.  
  
What neither of us was prepared for was my response.  
  
Blood boiled under my skin, burned in my lips. My breath exploded from me in a wild gasp. My fingers knotted in his shaggy hair, clutching him to me. My lips parted as I breathed in his heady scent. Immediately I felt him turn to unresponsive stone beneath my lips. His hands gently, but with irresistible force, pushed my face back. I opened my eyes and saw his guarded expression.  
  
"Oops," I breathed weakly.  
  
"That's... an understatement."  
  
His eyes were wild, his jaw clenched in acute restraint, yet he didn't lapse from that perfect control. He held my face just inches from his. Jake dazzled my eyes.  
  
"Should I… ?" I whispered, still breathless, as I tried to disengage myself, to give him some room.  
  
Jake's hands refused to let me move so much as an inch.  
  
"Naw... 's alright. Just... wait a sec." His voice was as restrained as the rest of him, carefully controlled.  
  
I kept my eyes on his, watched as the excitement in them faded and gentled. Then he smiled a surprisingly impish grin.  
  
"There," he said, obviously pleased with himself.  
  
"Alright?" I asked.  
  
He laughed aloud. "I'm stronger'n I thought. 'S good to know."  
  
"I wish I could say the same." I sulked, embarrassed by my reaction and aggravated that I had made things so hard for him. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Ya only human, after all."  
  
"Thanks so much," I said, my voice acerbic.  
  
He was on his feet in one of his lithe, almost invisibly quick movements. He held out his hand to me, an unexpected gesture. I was so used to our standard of careful non-contact. I took his icy hand, needing the support more than I thought. My balance had not yet returned.  
  
"Ya still faint from the run? Or my kissin' expertise?"

How lighthearted, how human he seemed as he laughed now, his scruffy, seraphic face untroubled. He was a different Jake than the one I had known. And I felt all the more besotted by him. It would cause me physical pain to be separated from him now.

"I can't be sure, I'm still woozy," I managed to respond. "I think it's some of both... mostly the latter, though." I admitted, a small grin lighting my lips as he laughed again.

"Maybe ya oughta let me drive."

"I said I was woozy, not insane." I protested.

"I can drive better'n _you_ on ya best day," he teased. "Ya got much slower reflexes."

"I'm sure that's true, but I don't think my nerves, or my truck, could take it."

"Little faith here, Boy Scout."

My hand was in my pocket, curled tightly around the key. I pursed my lips, deliberated, then shook my head with a playful grin.

"Nope. Not a chance."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

I started to step around him, heading for the driver's side. He might have let me pass if I hadn't wobbled slightly. Then again, he might not have. His arm created an inescapable snare around my waist and pulled me in close against his chest, my hand rising weakly to his shoulder.

"Taylor, I already expended an awful lotta personal effort to keep ya sorry ass alive. I ain't 'bout to let ya behind the wheel of a vehicle when ya can't even walk straight. Besides, friends don't let friends drive drunk," Jake quoted with a chuckle.

I could smell the unbearably sweet fragrance coming off his chest. "Drunk?" I objected.  
  
"Ya intoxicated by me." He was grinning that playful smirk again.  
  
"I can't argue with that," I sighed. There was no way around it; I couldn't resist him in anything. I held the key high and dropped it, watching his hand flash like lightning to catch it soundlessly. "Take it easy; my truck is a senior citizen."  
  
"Smart," Jake approved.  
  
"And are you not affected at all?" I asked, irked. "By my presence?"  
  
Again his mobile features transformed, his expression became soft, warm. He didn't answer at first; he simply bent his face to mine, and brushed his lips slowly along my jaw, from my ear to my chin, back and forth. I trembled, my breath catching as my body flared with heat; with _desire._  
  
"Regardless," Jake finally murmured, "I got better reflexes."


	14. Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooooh, we're (over) halfway there!
> 
> Sorry, couldn't resist lol
> 
> Honestly though; hope you enjoy this and please do let us know what you make of Jake's edited background ♡
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Control**

Jake could actually drive pretty well, I had to admit... when he kept the speed reasonable, that was. Like so many things, it seemed to be effortless to him. He barely looked at the road, yet the tires never deviated so much as a centimeter from the center of the lane. He drove one-handed, holding my hand on the seat. Sometimes he gazed into the setting sun, sometimes he glanced at me; my face, the pulse in my throat, our hands twined together.  
  
He had turned the radio to an oldies station, and I quietly sang along with a song I knew from Scott's limited taste in music, while my head slowly cleared of it's stimulation overload. He grinned when he discovered I knew every line.  
  
"Ya like fifties music?" He asked.  
  
"Music in the fifties was good. Much better than the naughties, or the teenies, ugh!" I shuddered.

"The eighties were the best." Jake inserted fondly.  
  
"Are you ever going to tell me how old you are?" I asked, tentative, not wanting to upset his buoyant humor.  
  
"Does it matter?" His smile, to my relief, remained unclouded.  
  
"No, but I still wonder…" I grimaced. "There's nothing like an unsolved mystery to keep you up at night."  
  
"I wonder if it might upset ya," he reflected to himself. He gazed into the sun; the minutes passed.  
  
"Try me," I finally said.  
  
He sighed, and then looked into my eyes, seeming to forget the road completely for a time. Whatever he saw there must have encouraged him. He looked into the sun; the light of the setting orb glittered off his skin in ruby-tinged sparkles; and spoke.  
  
"I was born in Louisiana in eighteen ninety." He paused and glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. My face was a picture of encouragement, eager for the rest. He smiled a tiny smile and continued. "Mike found me in a hospital in the summer of nineteen sixteen. I was twenty six... and dyin' of a gunshot wound, well, several; bein' honest."

He heard my intake of breath, though it was barely audible to my own ears. He looked down into my eyes again.  
  
"I don't remember it well; was a long ass time ago, and human memories fade." He was lost in his thoughts for a short time before he went on. "I do remember how it felt, when Mike saved me. 'S not a easy thing, not somethin' ya'd forget."  
  
"Your parents?" I asked, frowning in sympathy for whatever life Jake had been through. "Your uh, platoon?"

"Ya been watchin' dumbass war films, ain't ya?" He snorted, rolling his eyes as he looked over at me.

"Hey, I'm trying to get info out of you here, not give you more fuel to make fun of me." I pouted, frustrated at my still scrambled thoughts; all revolving around his heady, unforgettable kiss. I was certain Jordan couldn't say his first kiss was so memorable; or that it had blown his mind so completely. "Look, you want better words from me, don't make me forget them all... now just, say stuff." I complained petulantly, ignoring the heat which flared across my cheeks.  
  
Jake snorted and rolled his eyes. "My folks and I weren't on talkin' terms, on account of my wantin' to sign up with the army. I ran outta home soon as I hit eighteen, in nineteen oh eight. Had to get away, damn town was smotherin' me... only thing I ever missed 'bout that place was my sister." He said, trailing off as his eyes turned distant, locked into his past.

"What was she like?" I probed gently, dragging my thumb across the back of his hand gently.

Jake was silent for so long, I was about to apologise, afraid I had pressed for something too personal to him, when he finally looked over at me with a small, sad smile. I could see from the far off look in his eyes, tinged with pain, that she; at least, had been important to him. "She was... lively?" He hesitated, uncertain for a moment as he shook his head. "'S hard to remember human lives, 'specially after so long." He explained, pausing to draw an unsteady breath before smiling crookedly at me. "I remember she had this... mass o' red hair. Longer'n Quinn's. Always wore it in a braid down her back. Women then were s'posed t'be meek, quiet. Rebecca was... fiery. I used to write her letters sometimes." He said with a wistful sigh, snickering fondly as he brushed his thumb over my knuckle. I tried not to hyperventilate. "Ya kinda remind me of her, similar temper's." He huffed, rolling his eyes as he cleared his throat; the subject of his sister clearly not something he wanted to linger on.

"She sounds like she was very special. Like you." I said quickly, hoping he missed it but knowing he wouldn't. "So, you were telling me about Mike finding you in a hospital..?" I prompted.

"And how my uh, _platoon_ had just been wiped out." He snickered, flashing me a grateful look and seeming relieved the topic had moved from something which was clearly still painful to him. "I was alone. Fightin' to stay alive all the way to the hospital from the front lines. Was why Mike chose me. In all the chaos of the war and the constant traffic of dyin' men, no one'd ever realize I was gone."  
  
I nodded slowly, biting my lip as I imagined Jake's history flow by before my eyes. "How did he… save you?" I asked uncertainly, not wanting to push too hard at something which might be painful again.  
  
A few seconds passed before he answered. He seemed to choose his words carefully.  
  
"'S difficult. Not many of us got the restraint to do it. But Mike's always been the most humane, most compassionate of us… I don't think ya'd find his equal in all of history." He paused. "For me though, was just... really fuckin' painful."  
  
I could tell from the set of his lips, he would say no more on this subject. I suppressed my curiosity, though it was far from idle. There were many things I needed to think through on this particular issue, things that were only beginning to occur to me. No doubt his quick mind had already comprehended every aspect that eluded me.  
  
His soft voice interrupted my thoughts. "He acted from loneliness. 'S usually the reason behind the choice. I was the first in Mike's family; his brother in all but blood... well, originally. He found Grace soon after. She uh, fell from a cliff." He said, narrowing his eyes as he remembered something from long ago in his past. His jaw tightened briefly, and I was certain he looked away for a moment; but the action was so fast, I couldn't be sure I hadn't imagined it. "They took her straight to the morgue, but, somehow; her heart was still beatin'."  
  
"So you have to be dying, then, to become…" We never said the word since that first fateful conversation. I had no intention of saying it again.  
  
"Naw, that's just Mike. He'd never do that to someone who had 'nother choice." The respect in his voice was profound whenever he spoke of his brother. "'S easier he says, though," he continued, "if the blood's weak." He looked at the now-dark road, and I could feel this subject too was closing.  
  
"And Craig and Zahra?"  
  
"Mike brought Zahra to the family next." Jake said, pausing briefly and clearing his throat. "I uh, I found her... she'd been hurt. I weren't sure—" he paused again, seeming frustrated with himself as he grit his teeth and stared out the windshield for a long moment. _"Ahem,_ I didn't realize 'til much later that he was hopin' she might convince me to settle down." "He was careful with his thoughts around me." He rolled his eyes. "He thought it was hysterical when we both told him to do one. Even more so when I told him I didn't uh, swing that way." He huffed and shook his head, his lips curving softly as I stared and greedily drank in the vision of him.  
  
"She weren't ever more'n a sister. Was only couple years later she found Craig, anyway. She was huntin'; we were in Connecticut at the time, and found a bear, 'bout to finish him off." He said, and I suddenly understood his previous humour when he'd told me Craig's favourite was grumpy Grizzly Bear. "She carried him all the way to Mike, more'n a hundred miles, 'fraid she wouldn't be able to do it herself. I'm startin' to get how difficult that journey was for her." He threw a pointed glance in my direction, and raised our hands, still folded together, to brush my cheek with the back of his hand.  
  
"But she made it," I encouraged, looking away from the unbearable beauty of his eyes.  
  
"Yeah," he murmured. "She saw somethin' in his face that made her strong enough. They've been together ever since. Fight like nothin' ya ever saw at times, heh. Sometimes they live separately from us, as a married couple. But the younger we pretend to be, the longer we can stay in any given place. Cedar Cove seemed perfect, so we all enrolled in college." He laughed. "I suppose we'll have to go to their weddin' in a few years... again." He snorted and shook his head, remembering his past fondly. "Ya know Skrillex's naturally blonde?" He asked, snickering to himself.

I took a moment to try and work out why the nickname was familiar, my eyes widening as I looked down at my lap quickly. _That was what he called the person who was telling him off in the hospital..._ I thought, realization flooding through me as I recalled the fierce, whispered argument. _So, it was Zahra. I probably should have guessed after her glaring at me._ I mused, momentarily lost in my own head. I realised I had been quiet too long, as Jake glanced over at me just in time to see a curious smile spread across my face. What luck he can't hear my thoughts.

"Quinn and Kele?"  
  
"Quinn and Kele are two _very_ rare creatures. They developed a conscience, as we refer to it, off their own backs. Kele belonged to 'nother, uh… _family._ A real different kind of family. He got depressed, started wanderin' on his own. Quinn found him. Like me, she's got certain gifts, above and beyond the norm for our kind."  
  
"Really?" I interrupted, fascinated. "But you said you were the only one who could hear people's thoughts."  
  
"'S true. She knows other stuff. She sees things; things that might happen, things that are comin'. But 's all subjective. The future _ain't_ set in stone. Things change." His jaw set when he said that, and his eyes darted to my face and away so quickly that I wasn't sure if I only imagined it.  
  
"What kinds of things does she see?"  
  
"She saw Kele and knew he was lookin' for her, before he knew it himself. She saw Mike, saw our family; and they came to find us. She's most sensitive to non-humans. She always sees when 'nother group of our kind's comin' near. And any threat they may pose."  
  
"Are there a lot of… your kind?" I was surprised. How many of them could walk among us undetected?  
  
"Nah, not many. But most won't settle in any one place. Only those like us, who've given up huntin' _you_ people," a sly glance in my direction, "can live together with humans for awhile. We've only found one other family like ours, in a small village in Russia—"

"The ones you visited in the Ural mountains?" I interrupted before I could stop myself. It's not my fault he's so damn fascinating.

"Yeah, the Bhandarkars." He agreed with a small nod, seeming pleased I remembered. "We lived together for a bit, but there were too many of us. Got too noticeable. Those of us who live… _different_ tend to band together."  
  
"And the others?"  
  
"Nomads, for most part. We all lived that way at times. It gets tedious, like anythin' else. But we run across the others now and then, 'cause we all crave company eventually, and it ain't often Nomads'll risk headin' into a town."  
  
"Why is that?" We were parked in front of my house now, and he'd turned off the truck. It was very quiet and dark; there was no moon. The porch light was off so I knew Scott wasn't home yet. I didn't want my day with Jake to be over so soon.  
  
"Were ya eyes open this afternoon?" he teased. "D'ya think I could walk down the street, in the sunlight without causin' traffic accidents? There's a reason why we chose the Southern Peninsula, one of the most sunless places in the world. 'S nice, bein' able to go outside in the day. Ya wouldn't believe how tired ya get of nighttime in eighty-odd years."  
  
"So that's where the legends came from?"  
  
"Probably."  
  
"And Quinn came from another family, like Kele?"  
  
"Naw... and that _is_ a mystery. Quinn don't remember her human life at all. And she don't know who created her. She woke alone. Whoever made her walked away, and none of us understand why, or how, he could've. If she hadn't had that other sense, if she hadn't seen Kele and Mike; and known that she'd be one of us, she probably would've turned into a total savage."  
  
There was so much to think through, so much I still wanted to ask. But, to my great embarrassment, my stomach growled. I'd been so intrigued, I hadn't even noticed I was hungry. I realized now that I was ravenous.  
  
"Heh, sorry, I'm keepin' ya from dinner." He said, chuckling as his stubbled cheeks dusted with a faint, embarrassed blush.  
  
"I'm fine, really."  
  
"I ain't spent much time 'round folk who eat food. I forget."  
  
"I want to stay with you." It was easier to say in the darkness, knowing as I spoke how my voice would betray me, my hopeless addiction to him.  
  
"Can't I come in?" he asked.  
  
"Would you like to?" I couldn't picture it, this godlike creature sitting in Scott's shabby kitchen chair.  
  
"If 's all right." I heard the door close quietly, and almost simultaneously he was outside my door, opening it for me.  
  
"Very human," I complimented him.  
  
"It's resurfacin'." He snickered. He walked beside me in the night, so quietly I had to peek at him constantly to be sure he was still there. In the darkness he looked much more normal. Still pale, still dreamlike in his beauty, but no longer the fantastic sparkling creature of our sunlit afternoon. He reached the door ahead of me and opened it for me. I paused halfway through the frame.  
  
"The door was unlocked?"  
  
"Nah, used the key from under the eave." I stepped inside, flicked on the porch light, and turned to look at him with my eyebrows raised. I was sure I'd never used that key in front of him. "I was curious about ya." He said with a nonchalant shrug, grinning as if he had't just admitted to breaking and entering the Chief of Police's home.  
  
"You spied on me?" But somehow I couldn't infuse my voice with the proper outrage. I was flattered. My heart skipped a beat.   
  
He was unrepentant. "What else am I s'posed to do at night?"  
  
I let it go for the moment and went down the hall to the kitchen. He was there before me, needing no guide. He sat in the very chair I'd tried to picture him in. His beauty lit up the kitchen. It was a moment before I could look away. I concentrated on getting my dinner, taking last night's lasagna from the fridge, placing a square on a plate, heating it in the microwave. It revolved, filling the kitchen with the smell of tomatoes and oregano. I didn't take my eyes from the plate of food as I spoke.  
  
"How often?" I asked casually, though I was certain my damn fluttery heartbeat would give me away.  
  
"Hmmm?" He sounded as if I had pulled him from some other train of thought.  
  
I still didn't turn around. "How often did you come here?"  
  
"I come here 'most every night."  
  
I whirled, stunned. "Why?"  
  
"Ya interestin' when ya sleep." He spoke matter-of-factly. "Ya talk."  
  
_"No!"_ I gasped, heat flooding my face all the way to my hairline. I gripped the kitchen counter for support. I knew I talked in my sleep, of course; Jordan teased me about it. I hadn't thought it was something I needed to worry about here, though.  
  
His expression shifted instantly to chagrin. "Are ya angry with me?"  
  
"That depends!" I felt and sounded like I'd had the breath knocked out of me.  
  
He waited. "On?" he urged.  
  
"What the hell you heard!" I wailed, covering my burning face with my hands and turning away to hide from him. Instantly, silently, he was at my side, taking my hands carefully in his and meeting my pitiful gaze with his own piercing orbs.  
  
"Aw, c'mon, don't be upset..." Jake pleaded. He dropped his face to the level of my eyes, holding my gaze. I was beyond embarrassed. I tried to look away. "Ya miss ya Ma; and brother. Though, it threw me a bit when you called him an asshole a couple times." he whispered. "Ya worry 'bout 'em; ya Ma's silliness, and Jordan's relationship with this Michael fella. And when it rains, the sound relaxes ya. A bit frustratin', for me; ya don't say much then. Ya used to talk about home a lot, but it's less often now.'" He laughed softly, hoping, I could see, not to offend me further.  
  
"Anything else?" I demanded.  
  
He knew what I was getting at. "Ya... might've said my name," he admitted.  
  
I sighed in defeat. "A lot?"  
  
"How much d'ya mean by 'a lot,' exactly?" It didn't help that his eyes sparkled with smug glee. That alone told me that 'a lot' didn't even come close.  
  
"Oh no!" I hung my head.  
  
He pulled me against his chest, softly, naturally. "Hey, don't be self-conscious," he whispered in my ear. "If I could dream at all, it'd be about _you._ And I ain't ashamed of that."  
  
Then we both heard the sound of tires on the brick driveway, saw the headlights flash through the front windows, down the hall to us. I stiffened in his arms.

"Should ya Pa know I'm here?" he asked, his voice a whisper of breath in my ear.  
  
"I'm not sure…" I tried to think it through quickly; which was hardly an easy feat when his heady scent was fogging up my head again.  
  
"Another time then…"  
  
And I was alone.  
  
_"Jake!"_ I hissed.  
  
I heard a ghostly chuckle, then nothing.  
  
Scott's key turned in the door.  
  
"Tay-Bear?" He called. It had bothered me before; who else would it be? Suddenly he didn't seem so far off base.  
  
"In here." I hoped he couldn't hear the breathless edge to my voice. I grabbed my dinner from the microwave and sat at the table as he walked in. His footsteps sounded so noisy after my day with Jake.  
  
"Can you get me some of that? I'm bushed." He stepped on the heels of his boots to take them off, holding the back of Jake's chair for support.  
  
I took my food with me, scarfing it down as I got his dinner. It burned my tongue, as well as my throat. I filled two glasses with milk while his lasagna was heating, and gulped mine to put out the fire. As I set the glass down, I noticed the milk trembling and realized my hand was shaking. Scott sat in the chair, and the contrast between him and its former occupant was comical.  
  
"Thanks," he said as I placed his food on the table.  
  
"How was your day?" I asked. The words were rushed; I was dying to escape to my room.  
  
"Good. The trains at the expo were some of the finest I've ever seen." He said wistfully, his eyes gazing unfocused on the far wall for a moment, before he returned his eyes to me and smiled warmly. "Plus, the fish were biting well this afternoon… how about you? Did you get everything done that you wanted to?"  
  
"Not really; it was too nice out to stay cooped up indoors." I took another big bite.  
  
"It was a nice day," he agreed. What an understatement, I thought to myself. Finished with the last bite of lasagna, I lifted my glass and chugged the remains of my milk.

Scott surprised me by being observant. "In a hurry?"  
  
"Yeah, mega tired. Going to bed early." I spoke quickly in the hopes that Scott wouldn't notice the way my voice trembled with excitement.  
  
"You look kinda keyed up," he noted. Why, oh why, did this have to be his night to pay attention?  
  
"Do I?" was all I could manage in response. I quickly scrubbed my dishes clean in the sink, and placed them upside down on a dish towel to dry.  
  
"It's Saturday," he mused.  
  
I didn't respond.  
  
"No plans tonight?" he asked suddenly.  
  
"No, Dad, I just want to get some sleep."  
  
"None of the boys in town your type, eh?" He was suspicious, but trying to play it cool.  
  
"No, none of the boys have caught my eye yet." I was careful not to over-emphasize the word boys in my quest to be semi-truthful with Scott.  
  
"I thought maybe that Brian Crandall… you said he was friendly."  
  
"He's absolutely _not_ my friend, Dad, and I would _never_ lower myself to being in any way connected to him." Scott was quiet for a long moment, and I realised my tirade gave away more than I should have to avoid Scott's suspicions. I glanced over my shoulder to see him frowning at his plate, seeming to decide how to ask what Brian might have done. I wasn't about to have _that _conversation, so I thought quickly. "He's the kind of guy who thinks it's okay to have at the very least, two partners; so long as he has one of each gender." I sneered, allowing Scott just enough of Brian's character for him to understand my previous denial.

"Huh, that boy doesn't deserve to be going to the dance with Zoe Leon if he thinks that way." Scott grumbled, buying my quick injection. "Well, you're too good for them all, anyway. Wait till you finish college before you start looking." Every father's dream, that his son will be out of the house before the sex drive kicks in.  
  
"Sounds like a good idea to me," I agreed as I headed up the stairs.  
  
"'Night, Tay-Bear," he called after me. No doubt he would be listening carefully all evening, waiting for me to try to sneak out.  
  
"See you in the morning, Dad." See you creeping into my room tonight at midnight to check on me.  
  
I worked to make my tread sound slow and tired as I walked up the stairs to my room. I'm not sure how I managed not to skip, because I was practically vibrating with restless energy. I shut the door loud enough for him to hear, and then sprinted on my tiptoes to the window. I threw it open and leaned out into the night. My eyes scanned the darkness and the impenetrable shadows of the trees hopefully.

"Jake?" I whispered, feeling completely idiotic.  
  
The quiet, laughing response came from behind me. "Yes?"  
  
I whirled, one hand flying to my throat in surprise.  
  
He lay, grinning hugely, across my bed, his hands behind his head, his feet barely reaching the end, the picture of ease.  
  
"Oh!" I breathed, sinking unsteadily to the floor.  
  
"Sorry." He pressed his lips together, trying to hide his amusement, when he was clearly anything but.  
  
"Just give me a minute to restart my heart." He sat up slowly, so as not to startle me again. Then he leaned forward and reached out with his long arms to pick me up, gripping the tops of my arms like I was a toddler. He sat me on the bed beside him.  
  
"Why don't ya sit with me," he suggested, putting a cold hand on mine. "How's the heart?"  
  
"You tell me; I'm sure you hear it better than I do."  
  
I felt his quiet laughter shake the bed. We sat there for a moment in silence, both listening to my heartbeat slow. I thought about having Jake in my room, with Scott in the house.  
  
"Can I... have a minute to be human?" I asked.  
  
"Sure." He gestured with one hand that I should proceed.  
  
"Stay," I said, trying to look severe.  
  
"Yes, sir." He winked and saluted me roughly, before he made a show of becoming a statue on the edge of my bed.  
  
I grinned as I hopped up, grabbing my pajama bottoms from off the floor, my bag of toiletries off the desk. I left the light off and slipped out, closing the door.  
  
I could hear the sound from the TV rising up the stairs. I banged the bathroom door loudly, so Scott wouldn't come up to bother me.  
  
I meant to hurry. I brushed my teeth fiercely, trying to be thorough and speedy, removing all traces of lasagna. Who knew if more kissing might be on the table; though given my outrageous behaviour earlier, I severely doubted it, especially with Scott in the house. The hot water of the shower, however, couldn't be rushed. It un-knotted the muscles in my back, calmed my pulse. The familiar smell of my shampoo made me feel like I might be the same person I had been this morning. I tried not to think of Jake, sitting in my room, waiting, because then I had to start all over with the calming process. Finally, I couldn't delay anymore. I shut off the water, toweling hastily, rushing again in my eagerness. I pulled on my baggy, faded red pajama trousers. Too late to regret not packing the La Perla silk sleep shorts Jordan got me two birthdays ago, which still had the tags on them; in a drawer somewhere back home.  
  
I rubbed the towel over my hair again, and then yanked the comb through it quickly. I threw the towel in the hamper, flung my brush and toothpaste into my bag. Then I dashed down the stairs so Scott could see that I was in my pajamas, with wet hair.  
  
"'Night, Dad."  
  
"'Night, Tay-Bear." He did look startled by my appearance. Maybe that would keep him from checking on me tonight.  
  
I took the stairs two at a time, trying to be quiet, and flew into my room, closing the door tightly behind me.

Jake hadn't moved a fraction of an inch, a carving of Adonis perched on my faded quilt. I bit my lip and smiled shyly, and his lips twitched, the statue coming to life. His eyes appraised me, taking in the damp hair, the faded trousers. He raised one eyebrow. "Nice."  
  
I grimaced.  
  
His clear eyes clouded slightly as they moved slowly over my bare chest, taking his time and seeming to commit each contour to memory individually. "Nah really, looks good on ya."  
  
"Thanks," I whispered, pretending I wasn't flushing red at his look alone, regardless of his praise. I went back to his side, sitting cross-legged beside him. I looked at the lines in the wooden floor.  
  
"What was all that for?"  
  
"Scott thinks I'm sneaking out."  
  
"Oh." He contemplated that. "Why?" As if he couldn't know Scott's mind much more clearly than I could guess.  
  
"Apparently, I look a little overexcited." I said, rolling my eyes. "He seems to forget that I'm twenty instead of five."  
  
He lifted my chin, examining my face. "Ya do look... kinda warm." He bent his face slowly to mine, laying his cool cheek against my skin. I kept perfectly still, even holding my breath.  
  
"Mmmmmm…" he breathed.  
  
It was very difficult, while he was touching me, to frame a coherent question. It took me a minute of scattered concentration to begin, and my voice was breathless from lack of air; my head slowly growing dizzier.  
  
"It seems to be… much easier for you, now, to be close to me."  
  
"Does it seem like that to ya?" he murmured, his nose gliding to the corner of my jaw. I felt his hand, lighter than a moth's wing, brushing through my damp hair, his lips touching softly to the hollow beneath my ear.  
  
"Much, _much_ easier," I said, trying to remember how a person exhaled.  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"So I was w-wondering…" I began again, but his fingers were slowly tracing my collarbone, and I lost my train of thought.  
  
"Yeah?" he breathed.  
  
"Why is that," my voice shook, embarrassing me further. Did he really not realise what he was doing to me? Either he was insanely distracted or he had noticed where my blood was beginning to flow and wanted to kill me with mortification. "... do you think?"  
  
I felt the tremor of his breath on my neck as he laughed. "Mind over matter."  
  
I pulled back; as I moved, he froze; and I could no longer hear the sound of his breathing. We stared cautiously at each other for a moment, and then, as his clenched jaw gradually relaxed, his expression became puzzled. "I do somethin' wrong?"  
  
"No... the opposite. You're driving me crazy," I explained, fidgeting as I blushed and folded my arms over my lap awkwardly. Surely he knew that from my racing heartbeat?  
  
He considered that briefly, his eyes dropping to where my arms now hid my crotch and when he spoke, he sounded pleased. "Yeah?" A triumphant smile slowly lit his face.  
  
"Would you like a round of applause?" I asked sarcastically, scowling as I turned my head away from him and tried to glare a hole in the far wall.  
  
He grinned. "I'm just... surprised," he clarified. "Last hundred years or so," his voice was teasing, "I never thought anythin' like this'd happen. Didn't think I'd ever find someone I wanted to be with… in 'nother way than my family." He said, watching my irritated scowl swing back towards him.

"You're trying to tell me, that in twenty six years, you never got laid?" I huffed, raising a brow as he snorted and pointedly looked away.

"That's my human life. It don't count." He said stiffly, and I couldn't help but grin as he avoided the question.

"Yeah? So what, as a..." I still wasn't prepared to say the word again. "In over a hundred years of not being human, you didn't find anyone for even a one night stand?" I asked, watching him with surprise as he turned back towards me with an open grin.

"Nope." He said, seeming proud that he could answer one of my questions without condemning himself. "No nights, no days... nothin' but me and my—" he said, waving his right hand innocently as I snorted and shoved it away from me.

"Oh my god..." I snickered softly, shaking my head as I felt my face warm. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation. It's beyond surreal." 

"Hmm." Jake hummed, his hair swishing gently around his cheeks as he reached to take my chin between his cool fingers, drawing me to look up at his intense eyes once more. "And then..." he murmured, picking up where he'd left off. "To find, even though 's all new to me, that I'm _good_ at it… at bein' with ya…"  
  
"You're good at everything," I pointed out dazedly.  
  
He shrugged, allowing that, and we both laughed in whispers.  
  
"But how can it be so easy now?" I pressed. "This afternoon…"  
  
"It ain't easy," he sighed. "But this afternoon, I was still… undecided. Sorry 'bout that, I was an ass to do that."  
  
"Not an ass," I disagreed.  
  
"Heh, thanks." He smiled. "See," he continued, looking down now, "I weren't sure if I was strong enough…" He picked up one of my hands and pressed it lightly to his face. "And while there was still a chance I might be… overcome," he breathed in the scent at my wrist, "I was… susceptible. 'Til I made up my damn mind that there weren't a possibility that I'd… that I'd _ever…"_  
  
I'd never seen him struggle so hard for words. It was so… human. "So there's no possibility now?" I asked softly, biting my lip as my heart thudded heavily against my ribs.  
  
"Mind over matter," he repeated, smiling, his teeth bright even in the darkness.  
  
"Wow... that was easy," I said.  
  
He threw back his head and laughed, quietly as a whisper, but still exuberantly.  
  
"Easy for _you!"_ he amended, touching my nose with his fingertip.  
  
And then his face was abruptly serious.  
  
"I'm tryin'," he whispered, his voice pained. "If it gets to be… too much, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to leave."  
  
I scowled. I didn't like any talk of leaving; especially not by him.  
  
"And it'll be harder tomorrow," he continued. "I've had the scent of ya in my head all day, and I've grown pretty desensitized by now. If I'm 'way from ya for any length of time, I'll have to start over again. Not gonna be fun."  
  
"Don't go away, then," I responded immediately, unable to hide the longing in my voice.  
  
"Heh, suits me," he replied, his face relaxing into a gentle smile. "Bring on the shackles; I'll be ya prisoner." But his long hands formed manacles around my wrists as he spoke. He laughed his quiet, musical laugh. He'd laughed more tonight than I'd ever heard in all the time I'd spent with him.  
  
"You seem more… optimistic than usual," I observed. "I haven't seen you like this before."  
  
"Ain't it s'posed to be like this?" He smiled. "Glory of first love, and all that mushy bullshit. It's pretty swell, ain't it? Difference between readin' 'bout somethin', seein' it in the pictures, and feelin' it?"  
  
"Very different," I agreed. "More forceful than I'd imagined."  
  
"For example," his words flowed swiftly now, I had to concentrate to catch it all, "this stupid jealousy thing. I read 'bout it a hundred thousand times, seen actors act it in a thousand different plays and movies. I figured I understood it pretty good. But it shocked me…" He grimaced. "D'ya remember the day that... urgh, _Crandall _asked ya to the dance?"  
  
I nodded, though I remembered that day for a different reason. "The day you started talking to me again."  
  
"I didn't get the flare of resentment, close to fury, I felt; didn't figure what it was at first. I was even more pissed off than usual, I couldn't know what ya were thinkin', why ya refused him. Was it for ya friend's sake? Was there someone else? I had no right to care either way. I tried not to care." He said, sighing and shaking his head slowly.  
  
"Then the line started formin'," he chuckled. I scowled in the darkness. "I waited, crazy anxious to hear what ya'd say to 'em, to watch ya expressions. I was relieved, watchin' the irritation on ya face. But I couldn't _know_. That was the first night I came here." He said, his eyes locked into mine as my heart slowly crept to my throat from my chest and hovered there; blocking me from breathing.

"I wrestled all night, watchin' ya sleep, a huge friggin' chasm between what I knew was right; and what I wanted. I knew if I carried on ignorin' ya as I oughta, or if I left for a few years, 'til ya were gone, someday ya'd say yes to... _him_, or someone like 'im. Pissed me off way more'n it should've. And then," he whispered, "as ya were sleepin', ya said my name. Ya spoke so clearly, I thought ya woke up and saw me. But ya rolled over restlessly and said my name again and just... sighed."

I tried not to blush at the fact Jake had heard me muttering his name in my sleep, telling myself it was worth the embarrassment to have him here with me now. "The feelin' that ran through me was staggerin'... and I knew I couldn't ignore ya any more." He was silent for a moment, probably listening to the suddenly uneven pounding of my heart.  
  
"But jealousy… 's a strange thing. So much more powerful than I'd have thought. And its bloody dumb! Just now, when Scott asked you about that vile shithead, Crandall…" He shook his head angrily.  
  
"I should have known you'd be listening," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "That made you feel jealous, though, really?"  
  
"I'm new at this; ya resurrectin' the human in me, and everythin' feels stronger 'cause it's fresh."  
  
"But honestly," I teased, "for that to bother you, after I have to hear that Zahra; Zahra, the incarnation of pure beauty, even if she's still kind of terrifying. Zahra... was meant for you. Craig or no Craig, how can I compete with that?"  
  
"There ain't no competition." His teeth gleamed. He drew my trapped hands around his back, holding me to his chest. I kept as still as I could, even breathing with caution.  
  
"I know there's no competition," I mumbled into his cold skin. "That's the problem."  
  
"Of course Zahra's gorgeous in her own, weird friggin' way, but even if she weren't like a sister to me, even if Craig didn't belong with her, she could never have one tenth, no, one hundredth of the attraction _you_ hold for me." He explained, smiling as he toyed idly with the shortest hairs at the nape of my neck. This didn't help with my coherency issues. He then turned serious, thoughtful. "For almost ninety years I walked among my kind, and _yours…_ all the time thinkin' I was complete by myself, not realizin' what I was seekin'. And not findin' anythin', 'cause ya weren't alive yet."  
  
"It hardly seems fair," I whispered, my face still resting on his chest, listening to his breath come and go. "I haven't had to wait at all. Why should I get off so easily?"  
  
"Ya right," he agreed with amusement. "I should make this harder for ya, definitely." He freed one of his hands, released my wrist, only to gather it carefully into his other hand. He stroked my wet hair softly, from the top of my head to my waist. "Ya only gotta risk ya life, every second ya with me, that's surely ain't much. Ya only gotta turn ya back on nature, on humanity… what's that worth?"  
  
"Very little." I said quickly, irritation flaring at his sudden mood killing. I'd been enjoying the lingering arousal, even if I was mortified he knew about it. "I don't feel deprived of anything."  
  
"Not yet." And his voice was abruptly full of ancient grief.  
  
I tried to pull back, to look in his face, but his hand locked my wrists in an unbreakable hold.  
  
"What," I started to ask, when his body became alert. I froze, but he suddenly released my hands, and disappeared. I narrowly avoided falling on my face.  
  
"Get down!" he hissed. I couldn't tell where he spoke from in the darkness.  
  
I rolled under my quilt, balling up on my side, the way I usually slept. I heard the door crack open, as Scott peeked in to make sure I was where I was supposed to be. I breathed evenly, exaggerating the movement.  
  
A long minute passed. I listened, not sure if I'd heard the door close. Then Jake's cool arm was around me, under the covers, his lips at my ear as he pulled me back against him.  
  
"Ya a goddamn awful actor... I'd say that career path is a bust for ya."  
  
"Darn it," I muttered. My heart was crashing violently in my chest.  
  
He hummed a melody I didn't recognize; it sounded like a lullaby.  
  
He paused. "Ya want I should I sing ya to sleep?" He snickered teasingly.  
  
"Right," I laughed. "Like I could sleep with _you_ here; in my bed!"  
  
"Ya do it all the time," he reminded me. "Maybe not in ya bed, but I'm always here."  
  
"But I didn't know you were here," I replied icily.  
  
"So if ya don't wanna sleep…" he suggested, ignoring my tone. My breath caught.  
  
"If I don't want to sleep… ?"  
  
He chuckled. "What _do_ ya wanna do then?"  
  
I couldn't answer at first. I had some very particular ideas, but something told me he wouldn't be very impressed if I voiced them.  
  
"I'm not sure," I finally said.  
  
"Lemme know when ya decide."  
  
I could feel his cool breath on my neck, feel his nose sliding along my jaw, inhaling.  
  
"I thought you were desensitized."  
  
"Just 'cause I'm resistin' the wine, don't mean I can't appreciate the bouquet," he whispered. "Ya got a very floral smell, like... uh, nevermind," he noted, he coughed quickly. "It's mouthwatering."  
  
"Hmm, yes, it's an off day when I don't get somebody telling me how edible I smell."  
  
He chuckled, and then sighed.  
  
"I've decided what I want to do," I told him. "I want to hear more about you."  
  
"Ask away, Boy Scout."

That made me frown, and I squirmed as I tried to look back at him over my shoulder. "_Why_ do you keep calling me that? You didn't know I was a scout until I asked you before." I said, pouting at him as he snickered.

"'S 'cause I thought ya were such perfect 'lil shit." He huffed, his stubble tickling against my shoulder as his nose brushed the side of my throat, making it very hard for me to think coherently and absorb what he was telling me. "Mike has this dumb habit of nicknamin' folk. Spend a century with a fella and shit start's rubbin' off." He sighed, seeming annoyed by this as much as amused. "Everyone gets one, I just don't use 'em so much in public anymore."

"So... your idea of insulting me, was calling m Boy Scout... but it backfired, because I was an actual scout?" I asked, closing my eyes and trying to think cold thoughts as his fingers grazed my stomach and left trails of fire in their wake. I was fairly unsuccessful.

"Hmm." Jake hummed, as I frowned, sensing his grin against my shoulder and realising his was listening to my erratic heart as it tried to escape my chest.

I searched quickly for another subject, maybe one less inclined to make my body overheat and blood to pool in two very inconvenient areas. "What did you do in the army?" My voice was a high pitched whisper, breathless even to my own, less sensitive ears.

"I..." Jake paused, seeming thrown by the question. "I was a pilot, for most part." He said slowly, having to think back to his human life once more. "But I was with some infantry durin' First World War, they got taken by surprise; massacred. I was the only one stubborn enough to keep my damn heart goin'." He said, sighing and laughing quietly when his cool breath against my skin, set my heart to a rapid thrum once more.

"So... you know how to f-fly a plane?" I asked distractedly, trying to will my pulse to slow the hell down and pleading with my body that it not give me away anymore than my boiling blood would.

"Mm-hm." Jake replied, far more interested in seeing my reactions to his damnable soft touches against my shoulder.

I sifted through my brain, searching through more of my unending questions for the most vital and the easiest to voice. "Why do you do it?" I said suddenly, relieved when Jake's stubble ceased it's relentless tickling against my skin, once more thrown by my change in questioning direction. "I still don't understand how you can work so hard to resist what you… are. Please don't misunderstand, of course I'm glad that you do. I just don't see why you would bother in the first place."  
  
He hesitated longer before answering. "'S a good question, and ya ain't the first to ask it. The majority of our kind; who're quite content with our lot, they wonder how we live and all. But ya see, just 'cause we've been… dealt a certain hand… it don't mean that we can't choose to conquer the expectations of a fate none of us really wanted. Try to retain whatever... little, essential humanity we can."  
  
I lay un-moving, locked in awed silence as I processed that.  
  
"Did ya fall 'sleep?" he whispered after a few minutes.  
  
"No."  
  
"That all ya curious 'bout?"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Not quite."  
  
"What else d'ya want to know?"  
  
"Why can you read minds..? Why only you? And Quinn, seeing the future… why does that happen?"  
  
I felt him shrug in the darkness, his fingers ticking my stomach at the motion. I tried not to enjoy it quite so much as my body wanted to. "We dunno really. Mike reckons… he reckons we all bring somethin' of our strongest human traits with us into the next life, and then they're intensified, like our minds and senses. He reckons I must've already been sensitive to thoughts of others. And that Quinn had some precognition, wherever she was."  
  
"What did he bring into the next life, and the others?"  
  
"Mike brought his compassion. Grace brought her desire to learn and help others. Craig brought his strength, Zahra her… tenacity. Or ya could call it pigheadedness." he chuckled. "Kele is interestin', though... he was pretty charismatic in his first life, able to influence those 'round him to see things his way. Now he can manipulate the emotions of others; calm down a room of angry people, for example, or excite a lethargic crowd. 'S a very subtle gift."

I considered the impossibilities he described, trying to take it in. He waited patiently while I thought.

"So where did it all start? I mean, Mike changed you, and then someone must have changed him, and so on…"  
  
"Well, where'd _you_ come from? Evolution? Creation? Couldn't we have evolved in the same way other species, predator and prey? Or, if ya don't think this world could've just happened on its own, which is even hard for me, is it so hard to think maybe the same force that created the delicate angelfish with the shark, the baby seal and the killer whale, could create both _our_ kinds together?"  
  
"Let me get this straight; I'm the baby seal, right?"  
  
"Right." He laughed, and something touched my hair; his lips? My heart was fluttering dangerously again.  
  
I wanted to turn toward him, to see if it was really his lips against my hair. But I had to be good; I didn't want to make this any harder for him than it already was.  
  
"Ya ready to sleep?" he asked, interrupting the short silence. "Or d'ya have any more questions?"  
  
"Only a million or two."  
  
"We got tomorrow, ya know? And the next day, and the next…" he reminded me. I smiled, euphoric at the thought.  
  
"Are you sure you won't vanish in the morning?" I wanted this to be certain. "You are mythical, after all."  
  
"I ain't gonna leave ya." His voice had the seal of a promise in it.  
  
"One more, then, tonight…" And I blushed. The darkness was no help; I knew he could feel the sudden warmth under my skin, the same as he had all the others.  
  
"What?"  
  
"No, forget it. I changed my mind."  
  
"Taylor, ya can ask me anythin'."  
  
I didn't answer, and he groaned.  
  
"I keep thinkin' it'll get less frustratin', not hearin' ya thoughts. But it just gets worse and worse." He complained.  
  
"I'm glad you can't read my thoughts. It's bad enough that you eavesdrop on my sleep-talking."  
  
"Please?" His voice was so persuasive, so impossible to resist.  
  
I shook my head, curling into the covers and biting my lip as I huddled back against his marble chest.  
  
"If ya don't tell me, I'll just assume it's somethin' much worse'n it is," he threatened darkly. "Please?" Again, that pleading voice.  
  
"Well," I began thickly, glad that he couldn't see my undoubtedly scarlet face.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You said that Zahra and Craig will get married soon… Is that… marriage… the same as it is for humans?"  
  
He laughed in earnest now, understanding. "Is that what ya getting at?"  
  
I fidgeted, unable to answer.  
  
"Yeah, I s'pose 's much the same," he said. "I told ya, most of those human desires're still there, just hidden behind more powerful desires."  
  
"Oh," was all I could say.  
  
"Was there a uh, reason, for ya curiosity?" He snickered, his nose gently scenting at my throat.  
  
"Well, I did wonder…" _Come on, Taylor; get a grip and just say it,_ I thought. This both helped an hindered me as my body began to wake eagerly at the thought of gripping. "About you and me… someday…" My voice was a whisper, mortified I was saying this aloud.  
  
He was instantly serious, I could tell by the sudden stillness of his body. I froze, too, reacting automatically; disappointment already heavy in my heart.  
  
"I don't think that… _that…_ would be possible for us."  
  
"Because it would be too hard for you, if I were that… close?" I asked quietly, the rapid and fiery heat which consumed me instantly dulled.  
  
"That's a problem, sure. But ain't what I was thinkin' of. It's just that ya so soft... fragile." A large part of me was offended at the suggestion of being fragile; but then I recalled what his hands had done to Caleb's van as he saved my life... the first time. It didn't stop the bitter sulkiness I felt. "I gotta mind my actions every second we're together, so I don't hurt ya. I could kill ya easily, Boy Scout, just by accident." His voice had become just a soft murmur. He moved his icy palm to rest it against my cheek. I hoped my disappointment wouldn't show itself in the form of tears. "If I were too hasty… if for a second I weren't payin' enough attention. I could reach out, meanin' to touch ya face, and crush ya skull by mistake. Ya don't realize how breakable ya are. I can never, _never_ afford to lose any kinda control when I'm with ya."  
  
He waited for me to respond, growing anxious when I didn't. "Ya scared?" he asked.  
  
I waited for a minute to answer, making sure my disappointment didn't taint my voice. "No. I'm fine."  
  
He seemed to deliberate for a moment. "I'm curious now, though," he said, his voice light again. "Ya ever… ?" He trailed off suggestively.  
  
"No." I said quietly, ordering myself not to cry; thinking it was ridiculous to have thought maybe I'd been saving the experience for Jake, only to find it was an irrefutable impossibility. "I told you. I've never felt like this about anyone before, not even close."  
  
"I know. 'S just, I know other folk's thoughts. Love and lust ain't always in the same company."  
  
"They are for me. Now, anyway, that they exist for me at all," I snapped more viciously than I should have, still trying to bite back my absurd emotions.  
  
"Heh. We got that in common, at least." He sounded smug. My heart crumbled. I reached up for his hand, drawing it down to hover over my heart, allowing my stupid tears to fall silently.  
  
"Your human instincts…" I began thickly, pausing as I tried in vain to reign in my emotions. He waited patiently. "Well, do you... do you find me attractive, in that way?" I finally asked, hoping desperately that all his teasing hadn't just been for his amusement. "Um, at... at all?"  
  
He laughed and lightly rumpled my nearly dry hair.  
  
"I ain't human, but I'm still a man," he assured me. "Ya think I'd be layin' this close to ya, if I didn't?" He asked quietly.

"But you'll never have me?" I asked, wincing when my voice shook towards the end of my question.

Jake paused, his confusion thick in the air; only to slowly be replaced with suspicion and concern.  
  
I yawned to try and cover the waver he'd obviously heard in my voice. "Hmm... sorry, tired I guess." I muttered, curling in on myself.

Jake was silent for so long, I would have thought he had fallen asleep, if I didn't know that was an impossibility. "Taylor," he murmured, his lips against ear, making me start in surprise. "I ain't ever wanted anythin', as much as I want _you..."_ he assured, his silken stubble tickling my skin as he slowly and carefully moved down my throat to press his lips against my racing pulse. "Except, to keep ya alive." He said as he moved away. "If I were human... I wouldn't hesitate." He promised, tucking his chin against my shoulder gently.  
  
"I answered ya questions now." He said, his voice thick with something that I couldn't identify. "Ya oughta sleep," he insisted.  
  
"I'm not sure if I can." I murmured, my irrational overemotional moment quieting at last.  
  
"D'ya want me to leave?"  
  
"No!" I said too loudly, panicked at the thought of him leaving.  
  
He laughed, and then began to hum that same, unfamiliar lullaby; the voice of a gruff archangel, soft in my ear.  
  
More tired than I was willing to admit, exhausted from the long day of mental and emotional upheaval like I'd never felt before, I drifted to sleep in his cold arms.


	15. The Darwins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! I am an impatient wench, so; here you go, anoooooother update :p
> 
> Hope you enjoy, please remember to let us know if you ARE enjoying this as much as we are
> 
> And so; here comes the chapter that got us starting this whole thing!
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**The Darwins**

The muted light of yet another cloudy day eventually woke me. I lay with my arm across my eyes, groggy and dazed. Something, a dream trying to be remembered, struggled to break into my consciousness. I moaned and rolled on my side, hugging my pillow and hoping more sleep would come. And then the previous day flooded back into my awareness.  
  
"Oh!" I sat up so fast it made my head spin.  
  
"I ain't used to seein' ya wakin' up, all disheveled and without ya spikes… but I like it." His amused voice came from the rocking chair in the corner.  
  
"Jake!" I whirled, my heart leaping from a standstill to a rapid sprint. "You stayed!" I rejoiced, and thoughtlessly threw myself across the room and into his lap. In the instant that my thoughts caught up with my actions, I froze, shocked by my own uncontrolled enthusiasm.  
  
I peeked up at him guiltily, afraid that I had crossed the wrong line. But he laughed.  
  
"Course," Jake answered, startled, but seeming pleased by my reaction. His hands rubbed my back. "Needy little shit, ain't ya?"  
  
I didn't bother commenting on that, in favor of laying my head cautiously against his shoulder, breathing in the smell of his skin. "I was sure it was a dream." I admitted quietly.  
  
"Ya ain't that creative," he scoffed. "Mr. Marvel nut. Are ya partial to Cap or Tin man?"  
  
I snorted playfully, "Uh, excuse you very much, you uncultured- oh my god! Scott!" I remembered, thoughtlessly jumping up again and heading to the door.  
  
"Papa Chief left an hour ago; after reattachin' ya battery cables, I might add." Jake snickered, before raising a brow and smirking over at me curiously. "Gotta admit I was disappointed. Is that really all it'd take to stop ya, if ya were determined to go?"  
  
I deliberated where I stood, wanting to return to him badly, but afraid I might have morning breath.  
  
"Ya ain't usually this confuzzled in the mornin'," he noted. Jake held his arms open for me to return.

An _almost _irresistible invitation.  
  
"I need another human minute," I admitted.  
  
"I'll wait."  
  
I skipped to the bathroom, my emotions unrecognizable. I didn't know myself, inside or out. The face in the mirror was practically a stranger; dark blue eyes too bright, hectic spots of red across my cheekbones that matched my hair.  
  
After I brushed my teeth, I worked to make my hair at least moderately more spiked than it currently was. I splashed my face with cold water, and tried to breathe normally, with no noticeable success. I half-ran back to my room.  
  
It seemed like a miracle that he was there, his arms still waiting for me. He reached out to me, and my heart thumped unsteadily. "Welcome back, Boy Scout." Jake murmured, taking me into his arms.  
  
He rocked me for a while in silence, until I noticed that his clothes were changed, his shaggy hair somewhat styled.  
  
"You left?" I accused, touching the collar of his fresh shirt.  
  
Jake smirked at me, as if I was being particularly dense. "Couldn't be seen with ya in the same clothes as yesterday... what'd the folks of Cedar Cove think?"

I pouted, though I suppose I could understand. I mean, a being who literally _can't_ sleep? Staying and watching me sleep; and quite possibly drool? Yeah, it's probably just as well he left actually. I still feel as if I have been cheated some measure of time with him though.  
  
"Ya were sleepin' pretty deep. I didn't miss anythin'." His eyes gleamed. "The talkin' came earlier."  
  
I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "What did you hear?"

His cerulean eyes grew soft as he peeled my hands away from my face. "Ya said ya loved me."

"You knew that already," I reminded him, ducking my head in a futile attempt to hide my burning face.

"Can't ever get enough of hearin' it, if'm bein' honest." Jake said, smirking as his finger crooked beneath my chin and prevented my escape. "'S addictin', like good whiskey. Trust me," Jake grinned, winking. "I was a heavy drinker."

I hid my face against his shoulder. "I love you," I whispered.  
  
"Ya my life now," he answered thickly, nosing my hairline softly.

There was nothing more to say for the moment. He rocked us back and forth in the chair as the room steadily grew lighter, the both of us listening to my heart clatter giddily in my chest.  
  
"Feedin' time," he said eventually, casually; to prove, I'm sure, that he remembered all my human frailties. So naturally, I clutched my throat with both hands and stared at him with wide eyes. Horror crossed his face.  
  
"Kidding!" I snickered. "And you said I couldn't act!" I said, snickering as I playfully jabbed his hard shoulder.  
  
"That weren't funny." He frowned in disgust. "If I were human, I'd kick ya ass for that."  
  
"It was hilarious, and you know it." But I examined his cerulean eyes carefully, to make sure that I was forgiven. When he snorted and grinned lopsidedly, I assumed that I was.  
  
"Alright, lemme rephrase..." Jake rolled his eyes. "Feedin' time for the _human."_

"Oh, okay."  
  
He threw me over his stone shoulder, gently, but with a swiftness that left me breathless. I protested as he carried me easily down the stairs, but he ignored me.

"We're going to have to talk about this manhandling habit of yours." I groused petulantly, trying to scowl but instead glowing with glee.

Jake just winked at, as he sat me right side up on a chair.  
  
The kitchen was bright, happy, seeming to absorb my mood.  
  
"What's for breakfast?" I asked pleasantly.  
  
That threw him for a minute. "Er, I dunno. What'd ya like?" His marble brow furrowed.  
  
I grinned, hopping up. "That's all right, I fend for myself pretty well. Watch me hunt." I found myself a bowl and a box of cereal. I could feel his eyes on me as I poured the milk and grabbed a spoon. I sat my food on the table, and then hesitated. "Can I get you anything?" I asked, not wanting to be rude.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Just eat, Taylor."

I sat at the table, watching him as I took a bite. He was gazing at me, studying my every movement. It made me self-conscious. I cleared my mouth to speak, to distract him.  
  
"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked.  
  
"Hmmm…" I watched him frame his answer carefully. "What'd ya say to meetin' my family?"  
  
I gulped.  
  
"Are ya 'fraid now?" He sounded more hopeful than he had a right to.  
  
"Yes," I admitted; how could I deny it; he could see my eyes.  
  
"Don't worry." He smirked. "I'll protect ya."  
  
"I'm not afraid of _them,"_ I said waspishly, scowling as I pushed my bowl away from me, no longer interested in food of any kind; now my stomach was knotting with nerves. "I'm afraid they won't… _like_ me. Won't they be, well, surprised that you would bring someone… like me… home to meet them? Do they know that I know about them? Are they going to be very mad? I know Zahra doesn't like me and... and Craig loves Zahra, so that's already two people who don't want me there—" I paused, sucking in a much needed gulp of air, as Jake eyed me warily.  
  
"They already know everythin'. They'd taken bets yesterday, you know," he smiled, but his voice was harsh, "on whether I'd bring ya back, though why anyone would bet against Quinn, I can't imagine. At any rate, we don't have secrets 'tween us. Ain't really possible anyway, with my mind readin' and Quinn seein' the future and all." He frowned at me, clearly concerned by my babbling.  
  
"And Kele making you feel all warm and fuzzy about spilling your guts, don't forget that."  
  
"Ya paid attention," he smiled approvingly.  
  
"I've been known to do that every now and then." I said distractedly, biting my lip as I peeked over at him, my stomach tangled into knots. "So did Quinn see me coming?"  
  
His reaction was strange. "Somethin' like that," he said uncomfortably, turning away so I couldn't see his eyes. I stared at him curiously.  
  
"Is that any good?" he asked, turning back to me abruptly and eyeing my breakfast with a teasing look on his face. "Honestly, it don't look so appetizin'."  
  
"Well, it's no irritable grizzly…" I murmured, scowling back at him when he glowered over at me.

I was still wondering why he responded that way when I mentioned Quinn, though I knew better than to ask when he'd so clearly closed the subject. I hurried through my cereal, speculating.  
  
Jake stood in the middle of the kitchen, the statue of Adonis again, staring abstractedly out the back windows. Then his eyes were back on me, and he smiled his heartbreaking smile. "And ya oughta introduce me to ya Pa, too, I think."  
  
"He already knows you," I reminded him, my heart stuttering at the thought of Scott and Jake in one room; Scott telling Jake all the embarrassing things I didn't want him to know from my childhood; all with the merest hint of a thought.  
  
"As ya boyfriend." He clarified.  
  
I stared at him with suspicion. "Why?"  
  
"Ain't that what folk do?" he asked innocently.  
  
"I don't know," I admitted. My dating history was null and zero, save for a very short crush and hiding behind my twin brother; so this naturally, gave me very little in the regards of dating etiquette. Not that any such rules of dating applied here. "That's not necessary, you know. I don't expect you to… I mean, you don't have to pretend for me."  
  
His smile was patient. "I ain't pretendin'."  
  
I looked down at my arms, folded on the table before me as I bit my lip. The longer Jake seemed to spend around me, the more he seemed to relax; and the more of an idiot he seemed to be.  
  
"Are ya goin' to tell Papa Chief I'm ya boyfriend or not?" he demanded.

"Why do you keep calling him that?"

"Uh, cause he's your Pa? And the Chief?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Ya didn't answer my question."  
  
"Right. Boyfriend. Hm, does that even relate to you?" Suppressing once more, to the best of my abilities, my internal cringing at the thought of Jake and Scott and the word boyfriend all in the same room at the same time.  
  
"'S a loose interpretation of the word 'boy,' I'll admit."  
  
"I was under the impression," I said slowly, my heart running a marathon all on it's own."That you were... something _more,_ actually," I confessed, looking at the table.  
  
Jake snickered, "Well, I ain't sure about givin' him all the gory details." He reached across the table to lift my chin with a cold, gentle finger. "I reckon he ain't gonna wanna hear about the sappy shit ya most likely to mouth off. But he oughta know some explanation for why I'm gonna be 'round here so much. I don't fancy ya Pa gettin' a restrainin' order against me."  
  
"Will you be?" I asked, suddenly anxious. "Will you really be here?"  
  
"As long as ya want me," he assured me.  
  
"I'll always want you," I warned him. "Forever." He walked slowly around the table, and, pausing a few feet away, he reached out to touch his fingertips to my cheek. His expression was unfathomable. "Does that make you sad?" I asked quietly, reading his expression as best I could.

The sadness in his eyes was clear, and my heart sank at the silent rejection of my wish to remain by his side; at least as long as I was able.  
  
Jake didn't answer. He stared into my eyes for an immeasurable period of time.  
  
"Ya finished?" he finally asked.  
  
I nodded slowly. "Yes."  
  
"Get dressed. I'll wait here."

I took a deep breath, narrowing my eyes as I debated whether to press the issue, before deciding my insecurities weren't worth pushing him away any sooner than he was already likely to leave me. I slid my face away from his fingers and moved around Jake, heading upstairs to change.  
  
It was hard to decide what to wear. I doubted there were any etiquette books detailing how to dress when your vampire sweetheart takes you home to meet his vampire family. It was a relief to think the word to myself. I knew I shied away from it intentionally whenever I was talking to him.  
  
I rummaged through my wardrobe irritably, biting my lip to keep from muttering about stupid, confusing vampires and their determination to not answer questions. I shoved my few things on the rail in frustration, before digging through some of my drawers. It was as I was rooting through the third drawer from the top, that I paused, narrowing my eyes as I considered for a moment. "Hmm." I mused, debating the wiseness of my choice, before plucking the garments from my drawer and slamming my wardrobe closed.

I snickered as I hurried to dress myself in the one time fancy dress outfit which Jordan had got me, two years before. I hummed a jaunty tune as I tugged on the dark camouflage trousers, slipping a plain black t-shirt on before I then buttoned the matching jacket. I snickered to myself as I tugged the hem of the jacket to sit right on my hips. A quick glance in the mirror and I confirmed I was ready, though I still spent a little more time spiking my hair properly.  
  
"Okay." I bounced to the stairs. "I'm decent." I called, clearing my throat as I trotted down the stairs with a grin.

Jake was waiting at the foot of the stairs, closer than I'd thought he'd be, and I bounded right into him. He steadied me, holding me a careful distance away for a few seconds before he snorted a laugh. "Where the hell'd ya get that?" He asked, his clear eyes lit with amusement.

"Jordan wanted me to go to a dumb party with him, before he and Michael got together. Was fancy dress; but I never actually went." I explained, shrugging nonchalantly despite the radiant glow I felt coil in my gut, pleased to have made him laugh.

"Hmm..." Jake snickered, running his eyes over me again, before suddenly pulling me closer. "Ya wrong again though, ya know..." he murmured in my ear. "Ya utterly indecent; no one should look so temptin', it ain't fair."  
  
"Tempting how?" I pouted, my good mood and playfulness fading as I worried maybe I would upset his family. "I can go and change…"  
  
Jake sighed, shaking his head. "Ya so absurd." He pressed his cool lips delicately to my forehead, and the room spun. The smell of his breath made it impossible to think. "Shall I explain how ya temptin' me?" Jake smirked, throwing in a wink for good measure.

It was clearly a rhetorical question. His fingers traced slowly down my spine, his breath ghosting across my skin. My hands were limp on his chest, and I felt lightheaded again. He tilted his head slowly and touched his cool lips to mine for the second time, very carefully, parting them slightly.  
  
And then I collapsed.  
  
"Taylor?!" His voice was alarmed as he caught me and held me up.  
  
"You… made me… faint," I accused him dizzily, staring up at him in awe.  
  
"What the hell am I gonna do with ya?" he groaned in exasperation. "Yesterday I kiss ya, and ya attack me! Today ya pass out on me!"  
  
I laughed weakly, letting his arms support me while my head spun.  
  
"So much for bein' good at everythin'," Jake sighed.  
  
"That's the problem." I was still dizzy. "You're too good. Far, far too good."  
  
"D'ya feel sick?" he asked; he'd seen me like this before.  
  
"No; that wasn't the same kind of fainting at all. I don't know what happened." I shook my head apologetically, "I think I forgot to breathe."  
  
"Goddamn it, Taylor, I can't take ya anywhere like this." Jake sounded amused more than exasperated, I noticed.  
  
"I'm fine," I insisted. "Your family is going to think I'm insane anyway, what's the difference?"  
  
He measured my expression for a moment. "Gotta admit, I'm likin' that colour with ya skin," he offered unexpectedly. I flushed with pleasure, and looked away.  
  
"Look, I'm trying really hard not to think about what I'm about to do, so can we go already?" I asked.  
  
"And ya worried, _not_ 'cause ya headed to meet a houseful of vampires," He said, my breath catching at the casual use of the word between us. I supposed it had been long enough now for us to start using it again. "But 'cause ya think those vampires ain't gonna approve of ya, right?"  
  
"That's right," I answered immediately, still hiding my surprise.

He shook his head. "Ya somethin' else, Taylor."  
  
I realized, as he drove my truck out of the main part of town, that I had no idea where he lived. We passed over the bridge at the Maliwan River, the road winding northward, the houses flashing past us growing farther apart, getting bigger. And then we were past the other houses altogether, driving through misty forest. I was trying to decide whether to ask or be patient, when he turned abruptly onto an unpaved road. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns. The forest encroached on both sides, leaving the road ahead only discernible for a few meters as it twisted, serpent-like, around the ancient trees.  
  
And then, after a few miles, there was some thinning of the woods, and we were suddenly in a small meadow, or was it actually a lawn? The gloom of the forest didn't relent, though, for there were six primordial cedars that shaded an entire acre with their vast sweep of branches. The trees held their protecting shadow right up to the walls of the house that rose among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.

"Wow."  
  
I don't know what I had expected, but it definitely wasn't this. The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration.  
  
My truck was the only car in sight. I could hear the river close by, hidden in the obscurity of the forest.  
  
"Ya like?" He smiled.  
  
"It… has a certain charm."  
  
Jake chuckled, watching me twist my fingers awkwardly in my lap.  
  
"Ready?" he asked, opening my door.  
  
"Nope, but hey, I can try to fake it... let's go." I tried to laugh, but it seemed to get stuck in my throat.

I fidgeted with my camouflage jacket nervously, the outfit suddenly seeming less amusing now that I was here.

Jake batted my hands away from the garment gently, "Ya look hot as hell." He took my hand easily, without thinking about it.  
  
We walked through the deep shade up to the porch. I knew he could feel my tension; his thumb rubbed soothing circles into the back of my hand.  
  
He opened the door for me.  
  
The inside was even more surprising, less predictable, than the exterior. It was very bright, very open, and very large. This must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide space. The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and, beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wide river. A massive curving staircase dominated the west side of the room. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white.  
  
Waiting to greet us, standing just to the left of the door, on a raised portion of the floor by a spectacular grand piano, were some of Jake's family.  
  
I'd seen Dr. Darwin before, of course, yet I couldn't help but be struck again by his youth, his outrageous perfection. At his side was Grace, I assumed, the only one of the family I'd never seen before. But now knowing who, or rather _what _they were, I thought she was as amazing as Mike; or any of them. Fighting off temptation to tutor college students who needed help with certain aspects of their various courses. She darker than the others, even than Kele. While his ashen skin held a hint of caramel, Grace's was like warm chocolate that had been lightly frosted with ice. Her beautiful features were just as prominent as with the rest. Something about her kind, round face and pretty dark eyes, framed with glasses; made me think of a young, intellectual little sister that I never had... and Jordan and I were most likely to be beaten up by when we inevitably picked on her. Perhaps the most interesting thing was her tightly coiled hair, woven with tiny blue flowers which seemed to glow like crystals. Of course, all things considered, even being smaller than the others, she was probably still more than capable of breaking me like a piece of toothpick if she wanted to.

They were both dressed casually, in light colors that matched the inside of the house. They smiled in welcome, but made no move to approach us. Trying not to frighten me, I guessed.  
  
"Mike, Grace," Jake's voice broke the short silence, _"this_ is Taylor."  
  
"Nice to finally see ya comin' 'round, Kiddo." Mike's step was measured, careful as he approached me. He raised his hand tentatively, and I stepped forward to shake hands with him.  
  
"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Darwin."  
  
"Naw kid, c'mon, call me Mike." He said. "How's the head?"  
  
"Mike." I grinned at him, "and, except for the occasional lack of air, it's completely fine." I said, my sudden confidence surprising me. Mike laughed raucously, delighted by my response.

I could feel Jake's relief at my side.  
  
Grace smiled and stepped forward as well, reaching for my hand. Her cold, stone grasp was just as I expected.  
  
"It's very nice to meet you," she said sincerely.  
  
"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too." And I was. It was like meeting a family from a fairy tale.  
  
"Where are Quinn and Kele?" Jake asked, but no one answered, as they had just appeared at the top of the wide staircase.  
  
"Jake!" Quinn called enthusiastically.

She ran down the stairs, her red hair flowing down her back like a fiery stream, coming to a sudden and graceful stop in front of me. Mike and Grace shot warning glances at her, but I liked it. It felt natural; for her, anyway.  
  
"Hi, Taylor!" Quinn said, and she bounced forward to kiss my cheek.

If Mike and Grace had looked cautious before, they now looked staggered. There was shock in my eyes, too, but I was also very pleased that she seemed to approve of me so entirely. I was startled to feel Jake stiffen at my side, and a distinct growl rumble from his chest. I glanced at his face, but his expression was unreadable.  
  
"Goodness... you _do_ smell nice, I never noticed before," she commented, to my extreme embarrassment.

No one else seemed to know quite what to say, and then Kele was there; tall and leonine. A feeling of ease spread through me, and I was suddenly comfortable despite my concern these people might not approve of me. Jake stared at Kele, raising one eyebrow, and I remembered what Kele could do.  
  
"Hello, Taylor," Kele said. He kept his distance, not offering to shake my hand. But it was impossible to feel awkward near him.  
  
"Hello, Kele." I smiled at him shyly, and then at the others. "It's nice to meet you all; you have a gorgeous home," I added conventionally.  
  
"Thank you," Grace said. "We're so glad that you came." She spoke with feeling, and I realized that she thought I was brave.  
  
I also realized that Zahra and Craig were nowhere to be seen, and I remembered Jake's too-innocent denial when I'd asked him if the others didn't like me.  
  
Mike's expression distracted me from this train of thought; he was gazing meaningfully at Jake with an intense expression. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake nod once.  
  
I looked away, trying to be polite. My eyes wandered again to the beautiful instrument on the platform by the door. I suddenly remembered my childhood fantasy that, should I ever win a lottery, I would buy a grand piano for my mother. She wasn't really good; she only played for herself on our secondhand upright, but I loved to watch her play. She was happy, absorbed; she seemed like a new, mysterious being to me then, someone outside the "mom" persona I took for granted. She'd put me and Jordan through lessons, of course, but like most kids, I whined and Jordan just skipped; until finally she let us quit.

Grace noticed my preoccupation.  
  
"Do you play?" she asked, inclining her head toward the piano.  
  
I shook my head. "Not at all. But it's so beautiful. Is it yours?"  
  
"Yes," she laughed. "But I'm not very good." She smiled slyly and glanced toward Jake. "Didn't Jake tell you most of us are musical?"

"Ey, take that back wench," Mike snorted, nudging her shoulder playfully. "I ain't got a damn musical _bone_ in my body... I'll stick to surgery." He said with a grin.

"I said_ most _of us." Grace sighed, though she wore a fond smile. "It's his first time here, don't traumatise him by being yourself. I'd like him to come back again." She huffed, narrowing her eyes at Mike as he laughed warmly.  
  
"Uh..." I coughed, willing away my warming cheeks as I turned and glared at Jake. "Musical, huh?" I said, raising a brow at his suddenly innocent expression and narrowing my eyes. "I should have known, I guess."  
  
Grace raised her delicate eyebrows in confusion.  
  
"Jake can do everything, right?" I explained.  
  
Kele snickered and Grace gave Jake a reproving look.  
  
"I hope you haven't been showing off; it's rude," she scolded.  
  
"Eh, a bit," he laughed freely. Her face softened at the sound, and they shared a brief look that I didn't understand, though Grace's face seemed almost smug.  
  
"He's been too modest, actually," I corrected.  
  
"Well, play for him," Grace encouraged.  
  
"Thought ya just said showing off's rude," Jake countered smugly.  
  
"There are exceptions to every rule," she replied.  
  
"I'd like to hear you play," I volunteered.  
  
"It's settled then." Grace giggled, as she pushed him around the piano to where an acoustic guitar stood on a small rack. He pulled me along, sitting me on a seat behind him.  
  
Jake gave me a long, exasperated look before he turned and picked up the guitar with a sigh. And then his fingers flowed swiftly across the strings, and the room was filled with a composition so complex, so luxuriant, it was impossible to believe only one set of hands played.

I felt my chin drop, my mouth open in astonishment, and heard low chuckles behind me at my reaction.  
  
Jake looked at me casually, the music still surging around us without a break, and winked. "D'ya like it?"  
  
"You wrote this?" I gasped, understanding.  
  
He nodded. "'S Grace's favourite."  
  
I closed my eyes, shaking my head.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"I'm feeling extremely insignificant."  
  
The rhythm of his strumming slowed, transforming into something softer, and to my surprise I detected the melody of his lullaby weaving through the profusion of notes.  
  
_"You..._ inspired this one," he said softly. The music grew unbearably sweet.  
  
I couldn't speak. I felt my eyes water, not much, but enough that a tear escaped. Jake paused for a moment, leaning forward and I held my breath as he kissed it away, pulling back and licked his lips as he did. I must've turned unbelievably red at how hot my face felt.  
  
"They like ya, ya know," Jake said conversationally. "Grace especially."  
  
I glanced behind me, but the huge room was empty now.  
  
"Where'd they go?"  
  
"Subtly givin' us some privacy, I s'pose." Jake mused, snickering softly as he shook his head and walked slightly closer, his fingers never ceasing their swift motions.  
  
I sighed. _"They_ like me... but, Zahra and Craig…" I trailed off, not sure how to express my doubts.  
  
He frowned. "Don't worry about Skrillex," he said, his eyes wide and persuasive. "She'll come 'round."  
  
I pursed my lips skeptically. "Craig?"  
  
"Well, he thinks I'm a dumbass, but he don't have a problem with ya. He's tryin' to reason with Zahra."  
  
"What is it that upsets her?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer, but I wanted to try and repair the damage I seemed to have caused in their relationship at least.  
  
Jake sighed deeply, the song he was still playing, my song, drifting to an end, the final chords shifting to a more melancholy key. The last note hovered poignantly in the silence, leaving him holding the guitar neck carefully. "Zahra struggles most with… with what we are. 'S hard for her to have someone on the outside knowin' the truth. Also... she's uh, a little jealous."  
  
"Zahra... is jealous of _me?"_ I asked incredulously. I tried to imagine a universe in which someone as breathtaking and terrifying as Zahra would have any possible reason to feel jealous of someone like me.  
  
"Ya human." Jake said softly, as he shrugged. "She wishes she were, too... not that she don't like bein' a badass, she just hates bein' forced into stuff. If she'd chosen this life, maybe she wouldn't have such a giant stick up her ass."  
  
"Oh," I muttered, still stunned. "Even Kele, though…"  
  
"That's kinda my fault," he said. "I told ya he was most recent to try our way of life. I warned him to keep his distance."  
  
I thought about the reason for that, and shuddered.  
  
"Grace and Mike… ?" I continued quickly, to keep him from noticing.  
  
"Are happy to see me happy. Actually, Grace probably wouldn't care if ya had a third eye and webbed feet." He huffed, rolling his eyes as he set his guitar back on it's stand. "Decades now, she's been worried 'bout me, afraid that there was somethin' missin' from my life, that I might be harbourin' fears 'bout the prejudice from back when Mike changed me… She's ecstatic now. Every time I touch ya, she just about chokes with satisfaction."  
  
"Quinn seems very… enthusiastic."  
  
"Quinn has her own way of lookin' at stuff," he said through tight lips.  
  
"And... you're not going to explain that, are you?"

A moment of wordless communication passed between us. He realized that I knew he was keeping something from me. I realized that he wasn't going to give anything away.

Not now.

"So... what was Mike telling you before?"

His eyebrows pulled together. "Noticed that, did ya?"  
  
I shrugged. "Of course."  
  
He looked at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before answering. "He wanted to tell me somethin'; he didn't know if it was somethin' I'd share with ya."  
  
"Will you?"  
  
"I have to, 'cause I'm gonna be a little… overbearin' and protective over the next few days; or weeks, and I don't want ya to think I'm naturally an asshole." He sighed, rolling his eyes as I stood and approached his side.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked quietly, trying to read his face for some hint of what could be bothering him.  
  
"Nothin', exactly..." Jake said awkwardly, avoiding my eyes as he looked down and laced his fingers between mine. I feigned ignorance over the sudden jump in my pulse. "Quinn sees some visitors comin' soon. They know we're here, and they're curious."  
  
"Visitors?"  
  
"Yeah… well, they ain't like us, 'course; in their huntin' habits, I mean. They probably won't come into town, but I'm certainly ain't gonna let ya out of my sight till they're gone."  
  
I shivered. I wasn't sure he'd very impressed to learn how much I liked the idea of never leaving Jake's sight.  
  
"Finally, a rational response!" he murmured, misunderstanding my reaction. "I was startin' to think ya had no sense of self-preservation at all."  
  
I let it pass, looking away and hoping he wouldn't realise, my eyes wandering again around the spacious room.  
  
He followed my gaze. "Not what ya expected, huh?" he asked, his voice smug.  
  
"No," I admitted.  
  
"No coffins, no piled skulls in the corners; heh, don't even think we got cobwebs… what a disappointment it must be for ya," he continued slyly.  
  
I ignored his teasing. "It's so light… so open."  
  
He was more serious when he answered. "'S the one place we never have to hide."  
  
I wasn't sure what response could possibly be suitable to such a raw confession, so we stood in silence for a moment. "Thank you, by the way." I murmured, "for the song." I realized there were tears in my eyes. I dabbed at them, embarrassed.  
  
He touched the corner of my eye, trapping one I missed. He lifted his finger, examining the drop of moisture broodingly. Then, so quickly I couldn't be positive that he really did, he put his finger to his mouth to taste it.

It wasn't right that he could do something so nonchalantly and innocently, and yet still set my heart racing like some hummingbird in a hurry to be somewhere.

I looked at him questioningly, and he gazed back for a long moment before he finally grinned.  
  
"D'ya wanna see the rest of the house?"  
  
"No coffins?" I verified, the sarcasm in my voice not entirely masking the slight but bubble of excitement I felt, despite now knowing not all his family wanted me here.  
  
Jake laughed, taking my hand, leading me away from his guitar and the piano.  
  
"No coffins," he promised.  
  
We walked up the massive staircase, my hand trailing along the satin-smooth rail. The long hall at the top of the stairs was paneled with a honey-colored wood, the same as the floorboards.  
  
"Zahra and Craig's room… Mike' office… Grace's study... Quinn's room…" He gestured as he led me past the doors.  
  
Jake would have continued, but I stopped dead at the end of the hall, staring incredulously at the ornament hanging on the wall above my head. Jake chuckled at my bewildered expression.  
  
"Ya allowed to laugh," he said. "'S sorta ironic."  
  
I didn't laugh. My hand raised automatically, one finger extended as if to touch the large wooden cross, its dark patina contrasting with the lighter tone of the wall. I didn't touch it, though I was curious if the aged wood would feel as silky as it looked. "It must be very old," I guessed.  
  
He shrugged. "Early sixteen-thirties, roughly."  
  
I looked away from the cross to stare at him.  
  
"Why do you keep this here?" I wondered.  
  
"Nostalgia. Belonged to Mike's Pa."  
  
"He collected antiques?" I suggested doubtfully.  
  
"Naw... carved it himself. Hung it above the pulpit in the vicarage where he preached."  
  
I wasn't sure if my face betrayed my shock, but I returned to gazing at the simple, ancient cross, just in case. I quickly did the mental math; the cross was over three hundred and seventy years old. The silence stretched on as I struggled to wrap my mind around the concept of so many years.  
  
"Ya alright?" He sounded worried.  
  
"How... old is Mike?" I asked quietly, ignoring his question, still staring up.  
  
"We just had a small shindig for his three hundred and seventy sixth birthday," Jake said. I looked back at him, a million questions in my eyes.  
  
He watched me carefully as he spoke.  
  
"Mike was born in Louisiana, in the sixteen-forties, he reckons. Time weren't marked as accurate then, for common folk anyway. 'Course, it weren't even called Louisiana back then... not for 'nother forty odd years."  
  
I kept my face composed, aware of his scrutiny as I listened. It was easier if I didn't try to believe.  
  
"Only son to the local pastor. His Ma died givin' birth to him. His Pa was an intolerant man. Very enthusiastic in his persecution of Roman Catholics and any other religions that weren't his own. Also believed very strongly in the reality of evil. He led hunts for witches, werewolves… and vampires." I grew very still at the word. I'm sure he noticed, but he went on without pausing.  
  
"They burned a lot of innocent people; 'course the real creatures he sought weren't so easy to catch." He said, flashing his teeth at me ominously, though I just swatted his shoulder and scowled playfully in response. "When the bastard got old, he placed his obedient son in charge of the raids. At first Mike were a disappointment; he weren't quick to accuse, to see demons where they didn't exist. But he was persistent, and smarter than his Pa. He actually rooted out a buncha real vampires that lived hidden in the sewers of the city, only comin' out by night to hunt. In those days, when monsters weren't just myths and legends, that was how a lotta 'em chose to live."

I wasn't sure how to picture everything, somehow seeing Mike as a scruffier version of his present self; but organising others to hunt the very thing he now was himself. My curiosity was like a physical itch on my skin; I wanted to know everything. About all of them.  
  
"Folk gathered their pitchforks and torches, 'course," his brief laugh was darker now, "and waited where Mike'd seen the monsters exit into the street. Eventually one showed itself."  
  
His voice was very quiet; I strained to catch the words.  
  
"He must've been ancient, and weak with hunger. Mike heard him call out to the others in Latin, soon's he caught the scent of the mob. He ran through the streets, and Mike, dumbass he was; at twenty three and very fast, was in the lead of the pursuit. The creature could've easily outrun 'em, but Mike reckons he was too hungry, so he turned and attacked. He fell on Mike first, but the others were close behind, and he turned to defend himself. He killed two men, and made off with a third, leaving Mike behind."

Jake paused. I could sense he was editing something, keeping something from me. I tried not to be curious about whatever it was; knowing I was getting more information than I was really entitled to.  
  
"Mike knew what his Pa'd do. The bodies would be burned; anythin' infected by the monster must be destroyed. Mike acted instinctively to save his own life. He crawled away from the alley while the mob followed the fiend and his victim. He hid in a cellar, buried himself in rotting spuds for three damn days. It's a miracle he was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered." He said, shaking his head in clear respect as his eyes turned distant briefly, before sweeping over me. "Was over then. He knew what he'd become."  
  
I'm not sure what my face was revealing, but Jake suddenly broke off.  
  
"How're ya feelin'?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, fine?" I assured him. And, though I bit my lip in hesitation, he must have seen the curiosity burning in my eyes.  
  
He smiled. "I expect ya gotta few more questions for me."  
  
"Oh, just a few..." I replied, smiling widely at his openness with me. "_Million_ or two."  
  
His smile widened over his brilliant teeth. He started back down the hall, pulling me along by the hand.  
  
"C'mon, then," he encouraged. "I'll show ya."


	16. Mike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno if people are aware; but I love Mike
> 
> I feel so happy to have made him the most loving, gentle of immortals; because after the shit hand he gets dealt in Endless Summer..? Yeah... he deserves better.
> 
> Like, really, who has a guy assumed dead to turn out alive but at the wrong side of the team, has the good guy redeem him, but then kills him off to leave said good guy alone because good guy's lover boy has to do self-sacrificial shit?
> 
> Never again, buddy
> 
> Anyway... Hope you all enjoy this next little slice ; )
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Mike**

Jake led me back to the room that he'd pointed out as Mike's office. He paused outside the door for an instant.

"C'mon in," Mike's voice invited.

Jake opened the door to a high-ceilinged room with tall, west-facing windows. The walls were paneled again, in a darker wood; where they were visible. Most of the wall space was taken up by towering bookshelves that reached high above my head and held more books than I'd ever seen outside of a library.

Mike sat behind a huge mahogany desk in a leather chair, his boots kicked up on the priceless antique. He was just placing a bookmark in the pages of the thick volume he held, grinning over at the doorway. The room was how I'd always imagined a college dean's would look; not that I'd had need to go in one yet, though Mike looked too young to fit the part.

"What can I do for ya, pair o' lovebirds?" he asked us warmly, rising from his seat.

"Was just showin' Taylor some history," Jake said. "_Y__our_ history, actually."

"Ah, ya saw the cross, huh?" Mike asked, turning towards me with a crooked grin. "Big ol' eyesore, ain't it?"

"We didn't mean to disturb you," I apologized, smiling back at Mike shyly.

"Nah, don't worry yaself." Mike scoffed, puffing out his chest slightly. "As if I'd resist a chance to talk 'bout myself." He snickered, winking at me as I laughed quietly, before turning towards Jake. "Where ya gonna start?"

"The Waggoner," Jake replied, placing one hand lightly on my shoulder and spinning me around to look back toward the door we'd just come through.

Every time he touched me, in even the most casual way, my heart had an audible reaction. It was more embarrassing than ever with Mike there, though the other man clearly tried hard not to laugh for my sake.

The wall we faced now was different from the others. Instead of bookshelves, this wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some in vibrant colors, others dull monochromes. I searched for some logic, some binding motif the collection had in common, but I found nothing in my hasty examination.

Jake pulled me toward the far right side, standing me in front of a small square oil painting in a plain wooden frame. This one did not stand out among the bigger and brighter pieces; painted in varying tones of sepia, it depicted a miniature town, full of various sized houses with slanted roofs. A wide river filled the foreground, alive with a small fleet of boats of several sizes.

"Louisiana, in the sixteen-fifties," Jake said.

"Baton Rouge, of my youth... not that was called that then," Mike added, from a few feet behind us. I flinched; having not heard him approach. Jake squeezed my hand, and I was certain when I peeked up at him, that his lips were twitched into a grin.

"Ya wanna tell the story?" Jake asked. I twisted a little to see Mike's reaction.

He met my glance and grinned. "I'm always happy to talk about meself, Grandpa," he replied. "But I'm runnin' a little late. The hospital called this mornin'... Dr. Brownin' is takin' a sick day. Luckily, ya know the stories as well as I do," he added, grinning at Jake now.

It was a strange combination to absorb; the everyday concerns of the town doctor stuck in the middle of a discussion of his early days in seventeenth-century Louisiana.

It was also unsettling to know that he spoke aloud only for my benefit. Mike leaned in close as he clapped me warmly, or rather; coolly, on the shoulder. "See if ya can get that stick outta his ass for me, huh?" he snickered quietly, flashing me another warm smile and a sly wink, before he saluted quickly and left the room. 

Jake sighed wearily, while I stared at the little picture of Mike's hometown for a long moment.

"Why does he call you Grandpa?" I asked curiously, my brow furrowing as I glanced up at Jake.

"'Cause he thinks he's a funny bastard, even when he ain't." Jake grumbled, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "I was three years older'n him in human years; so he thinks he's hilarious to call me Grandpa. I sometimes call him Kid, makes him laugh more'n ever."

I nodded thoughtfully, pleased to have another mystery from my stockpile solved, ready to be filed away in my mental warehouse of Darwin related information. "So, what happened then?" I finally asked, returning to the history lesson and staring up at Jake, who was watching me. "When he realized what had happened to him?"

He glanced back to the paintings, and I looked to see which image caught his interest now. It was a larger landscape in dull fall colors; an empty, shadowed meadow in a forest, with a craggy peak in the distance.

"When he knew what he'd become," Jake said quietly, "he rebelled 'gainst it. Tried to destroy himself. But that ain't easily done."

"How?" I didn't mean to say it aloud, but the word broke through my shock.

"Dumbass jumped from great heights," Jake told me, as he rolled his eyes. "Tried to drown himself in the ocean... but he was young to the new life, and strong. It is amazin' that he was able to resist... feedin'... while he was still so new. Instinct's more powerful then, takes over everythin'. But, he was so repelled by himself that he'd the strength to try and kill himself with starvation."

"Is that possible?" My voice was faint.

"Nah," Jake scoffed, rolling his eyes again at his best friends behaviour, despite the lingering emptiness in his eyes. "There're only few ways we can be killed."

I opened my mouth to ask, but he spoke before I could.

"So he got real hungry, and eventually weak. He strayed as far as he could from human's, recognizin' that his willpower was weakenin', too. For months he just wandered 'round at night, seekin' the loneliest places, loathin' himself." He explained, narrowing his eyes and staring at the picture vacantly.

"One night, a herd of deer passed his hidin' place. He was so wild with thirst, he attacked without a thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. He ate venison in his former life, right? Over the next months his new philosophy was born. He'd exist without bein' a demon. He found himself again." He said, the respect clear in his voice and his eyes.

"He started makin' better use of his time. He'd always been smart, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time to do it. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and—"

"He swam to France?"

"Folk swim the Channel all the time, ya know?" He reminded me patiently.

"That's true, I guess. It just sounded funny in that context. Go on."

"Swimmin's easy for us—"

_"Everything_ is easy for you," I griped in exasperation.

Jake waited, his expression amused.

"I won't interrupt again, I promise." I finally sighed.

Jake chuckled darkly, and finished his sentence. "'Cause, technically, we don't gotta breathe."

"You—"

"Nuh uh, ya promised." He laughed, putting his cold finger lightly to my lips. "D'ya wanna hear the story or not?"

"You can't spring something like that on me, and then expect me not to say anything," I mumbled against his finger.

He lifted his hand, moving it to rest against my neck. The speed of my heart reacted to that, but I persisted.

"You don't have to breathe?" I demanded.

"Nah, ain't necessary. Just habit." He shrugged.

"How long can you go... without breathing?"

"Indefinitely, I s'pose; I dunno. Gets a bit uncomfortable; bein' without a sense of smell."

"A bit uncomfortable," I echoed amusedly.

I wasn't paying attention to my own expression, but something in it made him grow somber. His hand dropped to his side and he stood very still, his eyes intent on my face. The silence lengthened. His features were immobile as stone.

"What is it?" I whispered, touching his frozen face. "Did I do something wro-"

His face softened under my hand, and he sighed. "I keep waitin' for it to happen."

"For what to happen?"

"I know at some point, somethin' I tell ya or somethin' ya see is gonna be too much. And then ya gonna run away from me, screamin' as ya go." He smiled half a smile, but his eyes were serious. "I won't stop ya. I want it to happen, 'cause I want ya to be safe. And yet, I wanna be with ya. The two desires are... hard to separate." He trailed off, staring at my face. Waiting.

"I'm not running anywhere," I promised, reaching up to carefully cup both sides of his face with my palms. I met his gaze a moment longer, smiling as I held my breath and slowly leaned up on my tiptoes; brusing my lips softly over his stubbled jaw, before lowering myself to the floor and exhaling slowly. I grinned, inordinately pleased with myself as Jake chuckled at my obvious smugness. "I'm not so easy to get rid of, Top Gun."

"Top Gun?" Jake repeated, frowning curiously. "Wha-" he paused, realisation blooming as amusement spread to his clear eyes. "Ya ain't seriously-"

"Hey, I might not have has the time you have to become such a nickname conessieur," I said, grinning as he shook his head and snorted at me. "But I like it... might even keep doing it." I added fondly, pleased when he laughed quietly. "I mean it, Jake. I'm not going anywhere you aren't."

His eyes softened, though I could tell I hadn't fully got through to him. "We'll see," he said, smiling again.

I frowned at him playfully, lowering my hands from his face and turning back to the paintings. "So, go on; Mike was swimming to France."

Jake paused, getting back into his story. Reflexively, his eyes flickered to another picture; the most colorful of them all, the most ornately framed, and the largest; it was twice as wide as the door it hung next to. The canvas overflowed with bright figures in swirling robes, writhing around long pillars and off marbled balconies. I couldn't tell if it represented Greek mythology, or if the characters floating in the clouds above were meant to be biblical.

"Mike swam to France, and continued on through Europe, to the universities there. By night he studied music, science, medicine: and found his callin', his penance so to speak, in that. In savin' human lives." His expression became awed, almost reverent. "I can't explain the struggle; it took Mike two centuries of torturous, stubborn effort to perfect his self-control. Now he's all but immune to the scent of human blood, and he's able to do the work he loves without agony. He finds a lotta peace there, at the hospital..." Jake stared off into space for a long moment.

Suddenly he seemed to recall his purpose. He tapped his finger against the huge painting in front of us.

"He was studyin' in Italy when he discovered the others there. They were much more civilized and educated than the wraiths of Louisiana's sewers."

Jake touched a comparatively sedate quartet of figures painted on the highest balcony, looking down calmly on the mayhem below them. I examined the grouping carefully and realized, with a startled laugh, that I recognized the raven haired man.

"Solimena was greatly inspired by Mike's buddies. He often painted em as gods," Jake chuckled. "Everett, Silas, Rowan," he said, indicating the other three, two brown-haired, one snowy-grey. "Nighttime patrons of the arts."

"What happened to them?" I wondered aloud, my fingertip hovering a centimeter from the figures on the canvas.

"They're still there." He shrugged. "As they've been for who knows how long. Mike stayed with 'em only a short time, few decades. He admired their civility and refinement, but he git tired of their persistin', tryin' to cure his aversion to 'his natural food source'. They tried to persuade him, and he tried to persuade _them,_ to no avail. At that point, Mike decided to try the New World. He dreamed of findin' others like himself. He was lonely, see." He said, falling quiet for a moment. I brushed my fingers against the back of his hand, and he smiled softly.

"He didn't find anyone for a long time. But, as monsters became the stuff of fairy tales, he found he could interact with unsuspectin' humans as if he were one of them. He started practicin' medicine. But he couldn't risk familiarity, so he was still lonely." He explained slowly.

"Durin' First World War, he was workin' nights in a hospital in Chicago. He'd been turnin' over an idea in his mind for several years, and he had almost decided to act; since he couldn't find a companion, he'd make one. He weren't sure how his own change had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he didn't wanna steal anyone's life the way his had been. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope for me; I was left in a ward with the dyin' from the wounds I got when my uh, _platoon-_" he snickered as I scowled and swatted his arm. "Was wiped out. He knew I was alone. He decided to try..."

His voice, nearly a whisper now, trailed off. He stared unseeingly through the west windows. I wondered which images filled his mind now, Mike's memories or his own. I waited quietly.

When he turned back to me, a gentle angel's smile lit his expression.

"And so we've come full circle," he concluded.

"Have you always stayed with Mike, then?" I wondered.

"Uh, almost always..." He put his hand lightly on my hip and pulled me with him as he walked through the door. I stared back at the wall of pictures, wondering if I would ever get to hear the other stories.

Jake didn't say any more as we walked down the hall, so I asked, "Almost?"

He sighed, seeming reluctant to answer. "Well, I had a typical bout of rebellion; 'bout a decade after I was... born... created, whatever ya wanna call it. I weren't sold on his lifestyle, and I resented him for curbin' my appetite. So... little after he found Grace and was busy seein' her through the change... I took my chance and just, went off on my own for a time."

"Really?" I was intrigued, rather than frightened, as I perhaps should have been.

Jake could tell. I vaguely realized that we were headed up the next flight of stairs, but I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings.

"That don't repulse ya?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I guess it just... sounds kind of understandable."

Jake barked a laugh, more loudly than before. We were at the top of the stairs now, in another paneled hallway.

"From the time of my changin'," he murmured, "I had the gift of knowin' what everyone 'round me was thinkin', both human and non-human. That's why it took me so damn long to defy Mike... I got it. I understood exactly why he lived the way he did." He said, pausing briefly and lowering his eyes.

I tickled the back of his hand with my fingers, smiling encouragibgly when he laced them between his own woth one of his careful, but blindingly fast motions.

"Only took me only a few years to return to Mike and recommit, though... it weren't originally my intention." He said, scrubbing his free hand over the back of his neck awkwardly. "I told ya I found Zahra? And she'd been hurt?" He asked, sighing as I nodded and leaned slightly closer to his side, silently offering support for something which clearly made him uneasy. "She was... torn. Layin' there, a mess and waitin' to die; but fightin' it anyway. Stubborn bi-uh... woman." He coughed, clearing his throat as I snickered.

"Amyway, I carried her back to Mike... he and Grace were, waitin' for me, I think." He said, a frown creasing his brow momentarily. "He could sense the life stil hangin' in her... and he changed her." He said, clearing his throat as he glanced at me guiltily. "She weren't too pleased, bein' honest. I offered for her to come with me, but she uh, she told me to piss off, basically. She weren't 'bout to live with the guilt of takin' human life to keep goin'. I dunno it was just like... like somethin' clicked."

He sighed, shaking his head as I felt a strange sense of sympathy welled in my chest. I wasn't sure why, but something about Jake's struggles with himself and his own nature, only served to make me love him all the more.

"I thought I'd be exempt from the... depression... that comes with a conscience. 'Cause I knew the thoughts of my prey, I'd pass over the innocent and take only evil. If I saved a young girl frome a murderer or pervert in a dark alley, maybe I weren't so terrible."

I shivered, imagining only too clearly what he described; the alley at night, the frightened girl, the dark man behind her. And Jake, Jake as he hunted; terrible and glorious as a scruffy god, unstoppable. Would she have been grateful, that girl, or even more frightened? Would Jake have been tidier then? Could vampires even grow facial hair? I shook my head as my musings turned inevitably back to Jake, looking up as he sighed.

"But... as time went on, I started seein' the monster in my eyes. I couldn't escape the debt of so much human life taken, no matter how justified. So, I went back to Mike and Grace. They welcomed me back like the prodigal. Hell, Mike was a smug bastard 'bout it... but still, was more'n I deserved."

We'd come to a stop in front of the last door in the hall.

"Mine." Jake informed me, opening it and pulling me through.

His room faced south, with a wall-sized window like the great room below. The whole back side of the house must be glass. His view looked down on the winding Burke River, across the untouched forest toward the mountain range. The mountains were much closer than I would have believed.

The western wall was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs. His room was better stocked than a music store. In the corner was a sophisticated-looking sound system, the kind I was afraid to touch because I'd be sure to break something. There was no bed, only a wide and inviting black leather sofa. The floor was covered with a thick golden carpet, and the walls were hung with heavy fabric in a slightly darker shade.

"Good acoustics?" I guessed.

He chuckled and nodded.

He picked up a remote and turned the stereo on. It was quiet, but the soft rock number sounded like the band was in the room with us. I went to look at his mind-boggling music collection.

"How do you have these organized?" I asked, unable to find any rhyme or reason to the titles.

Jake wasn't paying attention. "Uh, by year? Then by personal preference within that frame..." he said absently.

I turned, and he was looking at me with a peculiar expression in his eyes.

"What?"

"I figured I'd feel... relieved. Havin' ya know 'bout everythin', not needin' to keep secrets from ya. But I didn't think I'd feel even more'n that. I like it. Makes me... happy." He shrugged, smiling slightly.

"I'm glad," I said, smiling back. I'd worried that he might regret telling me these things. It was good to know that wasn't the case.

But then, as his eyes dissected my expression, his smile faded and his forehead creased.

"You're still waiting for the running and the screaming, aren't you?" I guessed.

A faint smile touched his lips, and he nodded.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but you're really not as scary as you think you are. I don't find you scary at all, actually," I huffed, rolling my eyes as I sauntered away, peeling back over my shoulder coyly.

Jake stopped, raising his eyebrows in blatant disbelief. Then he flashed a wide, wicked smile.

"Ya know, ya really shouldnt've said that," he chuckled.

I bit my lip to hide a grin and turned as he growled, a low sound in the back of his throat; his lips curled back over his perfect teeth. His body shifted suddenly, half-crouched, tensed like a wolf about to pounce.

I backed away from him, glaring playfully.

"You wouldn't _dare,_ McKenzie."

I didn't see him leap at me; it was much too fast. I only found myself suddenly airborne, and then we crashed onto the sofa, knocking it into the wall. All the while, his arms formed an iron cage of protection around me. I was barely jostled. But I still was gasping as I tried to right myself; although for reasons I hoped he wouldn't guess at.

I struggled playfully, laughing as I tried to wrestle Jake's immovable arms behind his head. Jake wasn't having that. He curled me into a ball against his chest, holding me more securely than iron chains. I glared at him playfully, but he seemed well in control, his jaw relaxed as he grinned, his eyes bright only with humor.

"Ya were sayin'?" he growled playfully.

"That you are a very, very terrifying monster," I said, my sarcasm marred a bit by my breathless voice as my amusement faded, replaced with the gentle, familiar warmth I always felt around him.

"There ya go," he approved.

"Um." I struggled. "If you wanted me in your arms, you know you only had to ask, right?"

Jake just laughed.

"Can we come in?" a soft voice sounded from the hall.

I struggled to free myself, but Jake merely readjusted me so that I was seated a littlr less lewdly on his lap. I could see it was Quinn, then, and Kele behind her in the doorway. My cheeks burned, but Jake seemed at ease.

"C'mon." Jake was still chuckling quietly.

Quinn seemed to find nothing unusual in our embrace; she walked; almost danced, her movements were so graceful, to the center of the room, where she folded herself sinuously onto the floor. Kele, however, paused at the door, his expression a trifle shocked. He stared at Jake's face, and I wondered if he was tasting the atmosphere with his unusual sensitivity. I suddenly hoped, very intently, that he couodn't sense some of the stronger feelings Jake inspired in me.

"It sounded like you were having Taylor for lunch, and we came to see if you would share," Quinn announced playfully.

I stiffened for an instant, until I realized Jake was grinning; whether at her comment or my response, I couldn't tell.

"Sorry, ain't none to spare," Jake replied, his arms holding me recklessly close. "'S all _mine."_ I probably should have been more embarrassed by the shiver which ran through me at his possessive claim. But right then, I didn't care.

"Actually," Kele said softly, smiling despite himself as he walked into the room, "Quinn says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Zahra wants to play ball. Are you game?"

The words were all common enough, but the context confused me. I gathered that Quinn was a bit more reliable than the weatherman, though.

Jake's eyes lit up, but he hesitated.

"Of course you should bring Taylor," Quinn chirped. I thought I saw Kele throw a quick glance at her.

"D'ya wanna go?" Jake asked me, excited, his expression vivid.

"Sure." I couldn't disappoint such a face. "Um, where are we going?"

"We gotta wait for thunder to play ball... ya'll soon get why," he promised.

"Will I need an umbrella?"

All three laughed aloud.

"Will he?" Kele asked Quinn.

"No." She was positive. "The storm will hit over town. It should be dry enough in the clearing."

"Good, then." The enthusiasm in Kele's voice was catching, naturally. I found myself eager, rather than awkwardly confused.

"Let's go see if Mike will be able to make it." Quinn bounded up and to the door in a fashion that would break any ballerina's heart.

"Like you don't know," Kele teased, and they were swiftly on their way.

Kele managed to inconspicuously close the door behind them.

"What will we be playing?" I demanded.

_"You_ will be watching'" Jake clarified. _"We_ will be playin' baseball."

Baseball. As in, sports. I don't mind just watching at all. But it sounded oddly... ordinary. "Vampires like baseball?"

"Heh, Zahra likes baseball, Craig likes football..." Jake explained, waving his eyebrows as he snickered. "He just ain't figured out she has a double headed coin to decide which we're gonna play." 


	17. Play Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite scenes in the movie.
> 
> And may I just say, I love Grace as Esme. 
> 
> And that Mike is currently stag so I can pretend he's all mine hahaha!
> 
> Jokes aside, we're almost reaching the finish line. Thanks to those who's been supporting and reading for this long. Much hugs.
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Play Ball**

It was just beginning to drizzle when Jake turned onto my street. Up until that moment, I'd had no doubt that he'd be staying with me while I spent a few interim hours in the real world.

And then I saw the black car, a weathered Ford, parked in Scott's driveway; and heard Jake mutter something unintelligible in a low, harsh voice.

Leaning away from the rain under the shallow front porch, Diego Soto stood behind his father's wheelchair. Ricardo Senior's face was impassive as stone as Jake parked my truck against the curb. Diego stared down, his expression mortified.

Jake's low voice was furious. "This is crossing the line."

"He came to warn Scott?" I guessed, more irritated than anything else.

Jake just nodded, answering Ricardo Senior's gaze through the rain with narrowed eyes.

I felt was relieved that Scott wasn't home yet, would save me getting told off if I was as rde as I wanted to be.

"Let me deal with this," I suggested. Jake's black glare made me anxious.

To my surprise, he agreed. "'S probably best. Be careful, though. Boy's got no idea."

I bridled a little at the word child. "Diego is literally, only a couple months younger than I am," I reminded him.

Jake looked at me then, his anger abruptly fading. "Oh, I know," he assured me with a grin.

I sighed and put my hand on the door handle.

"Get 'em inside," he instructed, "so I can leave. I'll be back 'round dusk."

"Do you want my truck?" I offered, meanwhile wondering how I would explain its absence to Scott.

He rolled his eyes. "Taylor, I can _walk_ home faster than this truck moves."

"You don't have to leave," I said wistfully.

He smiled at my glum expression. "Actually, I do. After ya get rid of _them,"_ he threw a dark glance in the Sotos' direction, "ya still gotta prepare Scott to meet ya new boyfriend." He grinned widely, showing all of his teeth.

I groaned. "Thanks a lot."

He smiled the crooked smile that I loved. "I'll be back soon, Boy Scout." He promised. His eyes flickered back to the porch, and then he leaned in to swiftly kiss me just under the edge of my jaw.

My heart lurched frantically, my breath catching with awe as I, too, glanced toward the porch. Ricardo Senior's face was no longer impassive, and his hands clutched at the armrests of his chair.

_"Soon,_ Top Gun." I stressed as I opened the door and stepped out into the rain.

I could feel his eyes on my back as I half-ran through the light sprinkle toward the porch.

"Hey, Ricardo. Hi, Diego." I greeted them as cheerfully as I could manage. "Scott's gone for the day... I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Not long," Ricardo Senior said in a subdued tone. His black eyes were piercing. "I just wanted to bring this up." He indicated a brown paper sack resting in his lap.

"Thanks," I said, though I had no idea what it could be. "Why don't you come in for a minute and dry off?"

I pretended to be oblivious to his intense scrutiny as I unlocked the door, and waved them in ahead of me.

"Here, let me take that," I offered, turning to shut the door. I allowed myself one last glance at Jake. He was waiting, perfectly still, his eyes solemn. I hesitated, before deciding I wasn't about to let him have the last word; or kiss.

I smiled coyly, winking as I blew him a delicate kiss. His blinked in surprise, and then he clearly began to laugh, his shaggy hair shaking around his face as he waved me off with obvious amusement and affection. 

I offered a final soft smile, before turning to head indoors with Ricardo and Diego.

"You'll want to put it in the fridge," Ricardo Senior noted as he handed me the package. "It's some of Charlie Nguyen's homemade fish fry; Scott's favorite. The fridge keeps it drier." He shrugged.

"Thanks," I repeated, but with more genuine feeling this time. "I was running out of new ways to fix fish, and he's bound to bring home more tonight."

"Fishing again?" Ricardo Senior asked with a subtle gleam in his eye. "Down at the usual spot? Maybe I'll run by and see him."

"No," I lied slyly, my face determined but subtle enough I hoped it would still make me convincing. "He was headed someplace new today, he said it was somewhere around Clearwater Ridge, but I have no idea where."

He took in my changed expression, and it made him thoughtful.

"Junior," he said, still appraising me. "Why don't you go get that new picture of Sonja out of the car? I'll leave that for Scott, too."

"Where is it?" Diego asked, his voice embarrassed. I glanced at him, but he was staring at the floor, his eyebrows pulled together as his cheeks darkened.

"I think I saw it in the trunk," Ricardo Senior said. "You may have to dig for it."

"Dude—" I called to him, but Diego turned and slouched back out into the rain. I hoped he was just feeling awkward because his dad had made him drive up here for him, rather than genuinely upset with me.

Ricardo Senior and I faced each other in silence. After a few seconds, the quiet started to feel awkward, so I turned and headed to the kitchen. I could hear his wet wheels squeak against the linoleum as he followed.

I shoved the bag onto the crowded top shelf of the fridge, and spun around to confront him. His deeply lined face was unreadable.

"Scott won't be back for some time." My voice was almost rude.

He nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"Thanks again for the fish fry," I hinted.

He continued nodding. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest.

He seemed to sense that I had given up on small talk. "Taylor," he said, and then he hesitated.

I waited.

"Taylor," he said again, "Scott is one of my best friends."

"Yes." I said, rolling my eyes. "He happens to be my dad, so I was sort of aware of that." I wasn't sure why I was being so rude, but I supposed it was a combination of Ricardo's behaviour toward Jake, his underhanded behaviour in thinking to come and... what? Tattle on me?

Maybe it was just the way he talked to me like I was misbehaving toddler; whatever it was, it pissed me off. Polite Taylor, had left the building.

He spoke each word carefully in his rumbling voice. "I noticed you've been spending time with one of the Darwin's."

"Yes," I repeated curtly. "Although technically, his name isn't Darwin, it's McKenzie." I added with feigned thoughtfulness, turning to grab myself a soda from the fridge. My smile at least, was completely genuine as I thought of Jake.

His eyes narrowed. "Maybe it's none of my business... but I don't think that is such a good idea."

"You're right," I agreed brightly, pausing to take a long sip from my can of drink. "It is none of your business."

He raised his graying eyebrows at my tone. "You probably don't know this, but the Darwin family has an unpleasant reputation on the reservation."

"Actually, I did know that," I informed him in a firm voice, setting my can down on the side with more force than necessary. This surprised him. "But that reputation couldn't be deserved, could it? Because the Darwin's have never set foot on the reservation, have they?" I could see that my less than subtle reminder of the agreement that both bound and protected his tribe pulled him up short.

"That's true," he acceded, his eyes guarded. "You seem... well informed about the Darwin's. More informed than I expected."

I stared him down. "Most likely, even better informed than _you_ are." I said, pausing to let the information settle. "I've probably spent a lot more time with _all _the Darwin's than most people have, I think... their house is beautiful, did you know that?" I asked innocently. "There's an awful lot of history in there too."

Alarm quickly spread across his face, before he pursed his thick lips as he considered that carefully. "Maybe." he allowed, but his eyes were shrewd. "Is Scott as well informed?"

He had found the weak chink in my armor.

"Scott likes the Darwin's a lot," I hedged. "He's always encouraged me to be polite, welcoming and friendly to everyone. Pretty sure he'd want me to do the extend that same behaviour toward the Darwin's." His expression was unhappy, but unsurprised.

"It's not my business," he said. "But it may be Scott's."

"Though it would be my business, again, whether or not I think there's anything to tell Scott in the first place, right?" I demanded, staring across the room confidently. I wasn't sure what it was Jake had done to me, to turn me into this confident being; but I liked it. "Who knows, maybe one day very soon; Scott is going to be as well informed as... I decide he needs to be."

I wondered if he even understood my statement, which trailed with confusion as I struggled not to say anything compromising. But he seemed to. He thought about it while the rain picked up against the roof, the only sound breaking the silence.

"Yes," he finally surrendered. "I guess that's your business, too."

I was almost weak with relief, though I refused to show it. "Thank you, Ricardo." I said stiffly.

"Just think about what you're doing, Taylor," he urged.

"I know exactly what I'm doing." I replied easily.

He frowned. "What I meant to say was, don't _do_ what you're doing."

I looked into his eyes, filled with nothing but concern for me. "You're not my father, and you've no right to ask that of me." I finally replied. 

Just then the front door banged loudly, and I jumped at the sound.

"There's no picture anywhere in that car." Diego's complaining voice reached us before he did. The shoulders of his shirt were stained with the rain, his hair dripping, when he rounded the corner.

"Hmm," Ricardo Senior grunted, suddenly detached, spinning his chair around to face his son. "I guess I left it at home."

Diego rolled his eyes dramatically. "Great."

"I have cheese sticks to make it up to you." I snickered, rolling my eyes at Diego's instant grin.

"Well, Taylor, tell Scott," Ricardo Senior spoke as if I hadn't just offered his son food, pausing meaningfully before continuing, "that we stopped by, I mean."

"Will do," I said with a bright salute, though I had every intention of editing heavily.

Diego was surprised. "Are we leaving already?" He asked, glancing at me uncertainly. "But... cheese sticks—"

"Scott's gonna be out late," Ricardo Senior explained as he rolled himself past Diego.

"Oh." Diego looked disappointed. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, then, Taylor."

"Sure," I agreed. Grinning as I walked over and bumped my fist to his shoulder playfully. "Let me know you're coming next time, I'll have cheese sticks and more at the ready." I snickered, pleased when Diego eagerly agreed.

"Take care," Ricardo Senior warned me. I didn't answer, instead still bantering playfully with Diego as we walked behind him.

Diego helped his father out the door. I waved briefly, glancing swiftly toward my now-empty truck, and then shut the door before they were gone.

I stood in the hallway for a minute, listening to the sound of their car as it backed out and drove away. I stayed where I was, waiting for the irritation to subside. When the tension eventually faded a bit, I headed upstairs to change out of my fancy dress clothes.

I tried on a couple of different tops, not sure what to expect tonight. As I concentrated on what was coming, what had just passed became insignificant. Now that I was removed from Kele's and Jake's influence, I began to make up for not being mildly nervous before. I gave up quickly on choosing an outfit; throwing on an old blue flannel shirt and jeans, knowing I might end up being in my raincoat all night anyway.

The phone rang and I sprinted downstairs to get it. There was only one voice I wanted to hear; anything else would be a disappointment. But I knew that if he wanted to talk to me, he'd probably just materialize in my room.

"Hello?" I asked, breathless.

"Taylor? It's me," Zoe said.

"Oh, hey, Zoe." I scrambled for a moment to come back down to reality. It felt like months rather than days since I'd spoken to Zoe. "How was the dance?"

Not that I didn't know, of course. Myra made sure to buzz my phone constantly all night with information and pics of Cameron and Aiden. I'd been busy with Jake, at the time; but I had scrolled through briefly.

Still, I figured she had been expecting me to ask.

"It was so much fun!" Zoe gushed. Needing no more invitation than that, she launched into a minute-by-minute account of the previous night. I mmm'd and ahh'd at the right places, but it wasn't easy to concentrate. Zoe, Brian, the dance, the whole damn college; they all seemed strangely insignificant at the moment. My eyes kept flashing to the window, trying to judge the degree of light behind the heavy clouds.

"Did you hear what I said, Taylor?" Zoe asked, irritated.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, Brian kissed me! Can you believe it?"

I grimaced, shivering with disgust at the mental image I hadn't needed. "That's... wonderful, Zoe," I said.

I wondered if Brian were still behaving himself, but I was too excited for the rest of my night with Jake to ask.

"So what did you do yesterday?" Zoe challenged, still sounding bothered by my lack of attention. Or maybe she was upset because I hadn't asked for details.

"Nothing, really. I just hung around outside to enjoy the sun."

I heard Scott's car in the garage.

"Did you ever hear anything more from Jake McKenzie?"

The front door slammed and I could hear Scott banging around under the stairs, putting his tackle away.

"Um." I hesitated, not sure what my story was anymore.

"Hi there, kiddo!" Scott called as he walked into the kitchen. I waved at him.

Zoe heard his voice. "Oh, your dad's there. Never mind... we'll talk tomorrow. See you in Programming."

"See ya, Zoe." I hung up the phone.

"Hey, Dad," I said. He was scrubbing his hands in the sink. "Where's the fish?"

"I put it out in the freezer."

"I'll go grab a few pieces before they freeze; Ricardo and Diego dropped off some of Charlie Nguyen's fish fry this afternoon." I worked to sound enthusiastic instead of pissed of about Ricardos visit.

"He did?" Scott's eyes lit up. "That's my favorite."

Scott cleaned up while I got dinner ready. It didn't take long till we were sitting at the table, eating in silence. Scott was enjoying his food. I was wondering desperately how to fulfill my assignment, struggling to think of a way to broach the subject.

"What did you do with yourself today?" he asked, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Well, this afternoon I just hung out around the house..." Only the very recent part of this afternoon, actually. I tried to keep my voice upbeat, but my stomach was hollow. "And this morning I was over at the... Darwins'."

Scott dropped his fork.

"Dr... Darwin's place?" he asked in astonishment.

I pretended not to notice his reaction. "Yeah." I said innocently.

"What were you doing there?" He hadn't picked his fork back up.

"Well, I sort of have a date with Jake McKenzie tonight, and he wanted to introduce me to his family... Dad? Oh my god—" It appeared that Scott was having an aneurysm. "Dad? Are you all right?!"

"You... are going out with Jock McKenzie?" he thundered.

Uh-oh. "I thought you liked the Darwin's."

"He's too old for you," he ranted.

"We're both... freshman," I corrected, though he was more right than he dreamed.

"Wait..." He paused. "Which one is Jack?"

"Jake" I corrected, "is the the one with the shaggy brown hair." The beautiful one, the godlike one...

"Oh, well, that's..." he struggled, "better, I guess. I don't like the look of that big one. I'm sure he's a nice boy and all, but he looks too... mature for you. Is this, Jock, your boyfriend?"

"It's Jake, Dad."

"Is he?"

"Sort of... I guess." I could feel the flush of heat in my face as I stared down at the table. Where oh where had my damn bravery from earlier fled to? I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "Yes. He is." I said confidently, opening my eyes and looking up at Scott as the burning subsided from my face.

"You said last night that you weren't interested in any of the boys in town." He said reproachfully, but he picked up his fork again, so I could see the worst was over.

"Well, Jake doesn't live... in town, Dad." No need to mention he hasn't been a boy in over a century.

He gave me a disparaging look as he chewed.

"And, anyways," I continued, "it's kind of at an early stage, you know. Don't embarrass me with all the boyfriend talk, okay?"

"When is he coming over?"

"He'll be here in a few minutes." I admitted with a sigh, flopping back in my chair. Scott seemed to pause and think for a moment, before rising from the table and moving to an old drawer he kept for paperwork.

"Where is he taking you?" He asked, as he rummaged through the stacks of paper, drawing one sheet out and scanning it briefly, before closing the door and returning to the table.

I groaned loudly. "I hope you're getting the Chief of Police Interrogation out of your system now. We're going to play baseball with his family."

His face puckered, and then he finally chuckled. _"You're_ playing baseball?" Scott asked, as he re-seated himself and slid the sheet of paper over to me.

"Well, I'll probably watch most of the time..." I muttered distractedly, picking up the page and scanning it quickly, my face flaming as my jaw dropped. "Dad!" I choked, looking up at him with an embarrassed scowl. "I am _not _giving him this." I insisted, waving the '**Application For Permission To Date My Son**' at him incredulously.

"Why not?" Scott looked over as he picked his fork back up, his brows raising curiously as I spluttered indignantly. 

"You didn't make Michael fill one of these in!" I accused sourly, throwing the form on the table in disgust. "Why is Jordan's boyfriend allowed the benefit of the doubt?" 

"If he'd been living under my roof, he would've got a form for his boyfriend." Scott said evenly, taking another bite of his dinner before continuing. "Living with your mom meant I wasn't responsible for scouting out his boyfriend, Tay-Bear..." he said, pausing briefly and flashing a brief, guilty grin. "Though I did fax a copy to Michael. He was pretty thoughtful with his answers." He mused.

"I am not giving him this." I said firmly, sitting stiffly in my seat. I had been through too much convincing Jake to give me a chance; like hell I'd blow it with Scott's insanity. "I am not prepared to drive him away with this... this—" I stuttered, my cheeks darkening furiously as Scott watched me curiously. "Just, no! Okay?"

Scott was quiet for a long pause, eating as he watched me thoughtfully, before leaning back in his chair. "You must really like this guy," he observed suspiciously.

I sighed and rolled my eyes for his benefit.

I heard the roar of an engine pull up in front of the house. I jumped up and started cleaning my dishes. "Leave the dishes, I can do them tonight. You baby me too much."

The doorbell rang, and Scott stalked off to the living room; where to my immense horror, he began cleaning his ornamental shotgun. "Dad!" I hissed, half a step behind him.

Scott sighed and mimed an angel halo over his head, though he continued to clean the disused weapon, while i went to answer the door.

I hadn't realized how hard it was pouring outside. Jake stood in the halo of the porch light, looking like a male model in an advertisement for raincoats as he shook out his shaggy hair like a dog.

"Come in, Jake." I sighed with relief when I saw him, though my heart was heavy as I rolled my eyes and gestured for him to head into the living room and meet Scott.

Officially.

"Chief Lee," Jake said in a respectful voice, as he walked into the small living room.

"Go ahead and call me Scott." He replied, as I made a point of sighing loudly from the doorway.

"Thanks, sir."

I grimaced.

Jake sat down fluidly in the only chair, forcing me to sit next to Chief Lee on the sofa. I quickly shot him a dirty look. He winked behind Scott's back, as he snapped the shotgun closed with a flick of his wrist.

"So I hear you're getting my son to watch baseball." Only in Cedar Cove would the fact that it was raining buckets have no bearing at all on the playing of outdoor sports.

"Yes, sir, that's the plan." He didn't look surprised that I'd told my father the truth. He might have been listening, though.

"Well, more power to you, I guess."

Scott laughed, and Jake joined in.

"Okay." I stood up. "Enough humor at my expense. Let's go." I walked back to the hall and pulled on my jacket. They followed.

"Not too late, Tay-Bear."

"Don't worry, Scott, I'll have him home early," Jake promised.

"You take care of my boy, all right?"

"I'm twenty!" I groaned, but they ignored me.

"He'll be safe with me, I promise, sir."

Scott couldn't doubt Jake's sincerity, it rang in every word.

I stalked out. They both laughed, and Jake followed me.

I stopped dead on the porch. There, behind my truck, was a Zahra's Jeep. Now I was able to see it properly, I noticed its tires were higher than my waist. There were metal guards over the headlights and tail-lights, and four large spotlights attached to the crash bar. The roof had been attached, and was a vivid red which contrasted the sleek black of the rest of the vehicle.

Scott let out a low whistle.

"Wear your seat belts," he choked out.

Jake followed me around to my side and opened the door. I gauged the distance to the seat and prepared to jump for it. He sighed, and then lifted me in with one hand. I hoped Scott didn't notice.

As he went around to the driver's side, at a normal, human pace, I tried to put on my seat belt. But there were too many buckles.

"What's all this?" I asked when he opened the door.

"It's an off-roading harness."

"Really?" He laughed at my suddenly eager grin, my irritation forgotten as excitement built in my chest.

I tried to find the right places for all the buckles to fit, but it wasn't going too quickly. He sighed again and reached over to help me. I was glad that the rain was too heavy to see Scott clearly on the porch. That meant he couldn't see how Jake's hands lingered at my neck, brushed along my collarbones. I gave up trying to help him and focused on not hyperventilating instead.

Jake turned the key and the engine roared to life. We pulled away from the house.

"This is a... um... big Jeep you've borrowed have."

"Didn't think it'd be wise to run the whole way, after last time." He said, snickering as he flashed me a grin.

"Where do you keep this thing?" I mused, frowning as I thought back to my visit to the house earlier in the day. "I don't remember seeing any of your cars, actually..."

"We remodeled one of the outbuildings into a garage."

"Aren't you going to put on your seat belt?"

He threw me a disbelieving look.

Then something sunk in.

"Run the whole way? As in, we're still going to run part of the way?" My voice edged up a few octaves, excitement now pulsing in my blood.

He grinned and winked at me. _"You_ ain't gonna be runnin'..."

"Oh my god..."

"Keep your eyes closed, you'll be fine."

I bit my lip, fighting the urge to shove Jake's borrowed vehicle into reverse already and stomp on his foot to make him hurry up.

He leaned over to kiss the top of my head, and then groaned. I looked at him, puzzled.

"Ya smell so damn good in the rain," he explained.

"In a good way, or in a bad way?" I asked cautiously.

He sighed. "Both, always both."

I don't know how he found his way in the gloom and downpour, but he somehow found a side road that was less of a road and more of a mountain path. For a long while conversation was impossible, because I was too busy laughing, as I bounced up and down on the seat. He seemed to enjoy the ride, too, smiling hugely the whole way.

And then we came to the end of the road; the trees formed green walls on three sides of the Jeep. The rain was a mere drizzle, slowing every second, the sky brighter through the clouds.

"Here we go, Taylor, gotta go on foot from here."

"You know what? On second thought... I'll just wait here." I wanted desperately to have him carry me again, but the thought of running through the woods in the slippery rain; despite all my trust in him, made me suddenly nervous.

"What happened to all ya courage? Ya been extraordinary all mornin', and ya were excited just a second ago!"

"I just... all the trees, things I could hit. Suddenly seems less fun and more 'ow' for me... plus, I wasn't exactly coherent after last time." Could it have been only yesterday? He was around to my side of the car in a blur. He started unbuckling me. "I'll get those, you go on ahead," I protested.

"Hmmm..." he mused as he quickly finished. "Seems I'm gonna have to tamper with ya memory."

Before I could react, he pulled me from the Jeep and set my feet on the ground. It was barely misting now; Quinn was going to be right.

"Tamper with my memory?" I asked breathlessly. I was pretty sure he did this fairly regularly anyway, just by existing.

"Somethin' like that." He was watching me intently, carefully, but there was humor deep in his eyes. He placed his hands against the Jeep on either side of my head and leaned forward, forcing me to press back against the door. He leaned in even closer, his face inches from mine. I had no room to escape.

"Now," he breathed, and just his smell disturbed my thought processes, "what exactly're ya worryin' 'bout?"

"Well, um, hitting a tree," I gulped, my hands creeping slowly over his hips and feeling their way over his impeccably sculpted stomach. "... and dying. And then making a fool of myself."

He fought back a smile. Then he bent his head down and touched his cold lips softly to the hollow at the base of my throat.

"Ya still worried now?" he murmured against my skin.

"Yes." I struggled to concentrate, my hands rising further to his chest, gripping the material of his shirt tightly as they curled into fists. "About hitting trees and being dumb."

His nose drew a line up the skin of my throat to the point of my chin. His cold breath tickled my skin.

"And now?" His lips whispered against my jaw.

"Trees," I gasped, arching against him weakly. "Idiocy."

He lifted his face to kiss my eyelids. "Taylor, ya don't really think I'd hit a tree, do ya?"

"No, but I might." There was no confidence in my voice. He smelled an easy victory.

He kissed slowly down my cheek, stopping just at the corner of my mouth.

"Would I let a tree hurt ya?" His lips barely brushed against my trembling lower lip.

"No," I breathed, shivering as liquid fire spread through my stomach.

I knew there was a second part to my brilliant defense, but I couldn't quite call it back.

"Ya see," he said, his lips moving against mine. "Ain't nothin' to be 'fraid of... is there?"

"No," I sighed blissfully, giving in.

Then he took my face in his hands almost roughly, and kissed me in earnest, his unyielding lips moving against mine.

There really was no excuse for my behavior. Obviously I knew better by now. And yet I couldn't seem to stop from reacting exactly as I had the first time. Instead of keeping safely motionless, my arms reached up to twine tightly around his neck, and I was suddenly welded to his stone figure. I moaned softly, and my lips parted as I sighed shakily.

He staggered back, breaking my grip effortlessly.

"Damn it, Taylor!" he broke off, gasping. "Ya'll be the death of me, I swear ya fuckin' will."

I leaned over, bracing my hands against my knees for support as I stared at the floor with comically wide eyes.

"You're indestructible," I mumbled, trying to catch my breath.

"I might've believed that before I met _you._ Now let's get the hell outta here before I do somethin' really fuckin' stupid," he growled.

He threw me across his back as he had before, and I could see the extra effort it took for him to be as gentle as he was. I locked my legs around his waist and secured my arms in a choke hold around his neck.

"Don't forget to close ya bloody eyes," he warned severely.

I quickly tucked my face into his shoulder blade, under my own arm, and squeezed my eyes shut.

And I could hardly tell we were moving. I could feel him gliding along beneath me, but he could have been strolling down the sidewalk, the movement was so smooth. I was tempted to peek, just to see if he was really flying through the forest like before, but I resisted. It wasn't worth that head rush, especially when I had already made him so mad. I contented myself with listening to his breath come and go evenly.

I wasn't quite sure we had stopped until he reached back and touched my hip.

"'S over, Taylor."

I dared to open my eyes, and, sure enough, we were at a standstill. I quickly unlocked my stranglehold on his body and slipped to the ground, landing on my ass.

"Oh!" I huffed as I hit the wet ground.

He stared at me incredulously, evidently not sure whether he was still too mad to find me funny. But my bewildered expression pushed him over the edge, and he broke into a roar of laughter.

I picked myself up, ignoring him as I brushed the mud and bracken off the back of my jacket. That only made him laugh harder. Annoyed, I began to stride off into the forest.

I felt his arm around my waist.

"Where're ya goin', Taylor?"

"To watch a baseball game. You don't seem to be interested in playing anymore, but I'm sure the others will have fun without you."

"Ya goin' the wrong way."

I pivoted on the spot, turning around without looking at him, and stalking off in the opposite direction. He caught me again.

"C'mon... don't be mad, I couldn't help myself. Ya should've seen ya face." He chuckled before he could stop himself.

"Oh, you're the only one who's allowed to get mad?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"I weren't mad at ya."

"_'Taylor, you'll be the death of me_'?" I quoted sourly.

"Kinda startin' to think that's just a statement of fact, at this point."

I tried to turn away from him again, but he held me fast.

"You were mad," I insisted.

"Yeah—"

"But you just said—"

"That I weren't mad at _you._ Can't ya see that, Taylor?" He was suddenly intense, all trace of teasing gone. "Don't ya understand?"

"See what?" I demanded, confused by his sudden mood swing as much as his words.

"I'm never pissed off at _you;_ how could I be? Brave, trusting... warm as ya are."

"Then why?" I whispered, remembering the black moods that always pulled him away from me, that I'd always interpreted as well-justified frustration; frustration at my weakness, my slowness, my unruly human reactions...

He put his hands carefully on both sides of my face. "I was pissed off at myself," he said gently. "The way I can't seem to keep from puttin' ya in danger. My very existence puts ya at risk. Sometimes I truly hate myself. I should be stronger, I should be able to—"

I placed my hand over his mouth. "Don't."

He took my hand, moving it from his lips, but holding it to his face.

"I love ya," he said. "It's a poor excuse for what I'm doing, but it's still true."

It was the first time he'd said he loved me; in so many words. He might not realize it, but my heart and I certainly did.

"Now, please _try_ to behave yourself," he continued, and he bent to softly brush his lips against mine.

I held my breath and kept properly still. Then I sighed.

"You promised Chief Lee that you would have me home early, remember? We'd better get going."

"Yes, _sir."_

He smiled wistfully and released all of me but one hand. He led me a few feet through the tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive hemlock tree, and we were there, on the edge of an enormous open field in the lap of the Olympic peaks. It was twice the size of any baseball stadium.

I could see the others all there; Grace, Craig, and Zahra, sitting on a bare outcropping of rock, were the closest to us, maybe a hundred yards away. Much farther out I could see Kele and Quinn, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw something back and forth, but I never saw any ball. It looked like Mike was marking bases, but could they really be that far apart?

When we came into view, the three on the rocks rose.

Grace started toward us. Craig followed after a long look at Zahra's back; Zahra had risen gracefully and strode off toward the field without a glance in our direction. My stomach quivered uneasily in response.

"Was that you we heard, Jake?" Grace asked as she approached.

"Sounded like a bear choking, brah." Craig clarified.

I smiled smugly at Grace. "That was him."

"Taylor was bein' an idiot," Jake explained, quickly settling the score.

Quinn had left her position and was running, or dancing, toward us. She hurtled to a fluid stop at our feet. "It's time," she announced.

As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Craig said with easy familiarity, winking at me.

"Let's go." Quinn reached for Craig's hand and they darted toward the oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. He was nearly as graceful and just as fast; yet Craig could never be compared to a gazelle.

"Ya ready for some ball?" Jake asked, his eyes eager, bright.

I didn't have to try to be enthusiastic. "Go team!" I cheered, waving imaginary pom poms as I jumped in the air playfully. 

He snickered and, after mussing my spikes, bounded off after the other two. His run was more aggressive, a sprinting wolf rather than a gazelle, and he quickly overtook them. The grace and power took my breath away.

"Shall we go down?" Grace asked in her soft, melodic voice, and I realized I was staring open mouthed after him. I quickly reassembled my expression and nodded.

Grace kept a few feet between us, and I wondered if she was still being careful not to frighten me. I decided that just wouldn't do, and closed the space between us slightly, linking my arm through hers as I watched her carefully. She smiled happily and matched her stride to mine without seeming impatient at the pace.

"You don't play with them?" I asked shyly.

"No, I prefer to referee; I like keeping them honest," she explained.

"Do they like to cheat, then?"

"Oh yes! You should hear the arguments they get into! Actually, I hope you don't, you would think they were raised by a pack of wolves."

"You sound like my mom," I laughed, surprised.

She laughed, too. "Well, I do think of them as my younger siblings, in most ways. I never could get over my need for family... did Jake tell you I had lost my entire family?"

"No," I murmured, stunned, scrambling to understand what lifetime she was remembering.

"Yes, my mother, father and three brothers, plus my little sister," she sighed. "It broke my heart; that's why I jumped off the cliff, you know," she added matter-of-factly.

"Jake just... said you f-fell," I stammered.

"Always the gentleman, even when he pretends he's not." She smiled. "Mike and Jake were the first of my new brothers. I've always thought of him that way, even though he's older than I, in both senses." She smiled at me warmly. "That's why I'm so happy that he's found you, you know?" The endearment sounded very natural on her lips. "He's been the odd man out for far too long; it's hurt me to see him alone."

"You don't mind, then?" I asked, hesitant again despite my curiosity. "That I'm... all wrong for him?"

"No." She was thoughtful. "You're what he wants. It will work out, somehow," she said, though her forehead creased with worry. Another peal of thunder began.

Grace stopped then; apparently, we'd reached the edge of the field. It looked as if they had formed teams. Jake was far out in left field, Mike stood between the first and second bases, and Quinn held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound.

Craig was swinging an aluminum bat with a grin; it whistled almost imperceptibly through the air. I waited for him to approach home plate, but then I realized, as he took his stance, that he was already there; farther from the pitcher's mound than I would have thought possible. Kele stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team. Of course, none of them had gloves.

"All right," Grace called in a clear voice, which I knew even Jake would hear, as far out as he was. "Batter up."

Quinn stood straight, deceptively motionless except for her wild red hair billowing behind her in the breeze. Her style seemed to be stealth rather than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into Kele's hand.

"Was that a strike?" I whispered to Grace.

"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," she told me with a giggle.

Kele hurled the ball back to Quinn's waiting hand. She permitted herself a brief grin. And then her hand spun out again.

This time the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into the invisible ball. The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains and I immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm.

The ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest.

"Home run," I murmured.

"Wait," Grace cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Craig was a blur around the bases, Mike shadowing him.

I realized Jake was missing.

"Out!" Grace cried in a clear voice.

I stared in disbelief as Jake sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to me.

"Craig hits the hardest," Grace explained, "but Jake runs the fastest."

The inning continued before my incredulous eyes. It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field.

I learned the other reason they waited for a thunderstorm to play when Kele, trying to avoid Jake's infallible fielding, hit a ground ball toward Mike. Mike ran into the ball, and then raced Kele to first base. When they collided, the sound was like the crash of two massive falling boulders. I jumped up in concern, but they were completely unscathed; laughing at each other as they dusted off mud from their clothes.

"Safe," Grace called in a calm voice.

Craig's team was up by one; Zahra managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Craig's long flies, when Jake caught the third out. He sprinted to my side, sparkling with excitement.

"Whaddaya think?" he asked.

"One thing's for sure, I'll never be able to sit through dull old Major League Baseball again."

"'Cause of course, ya did so much of that before," he laughed.

"I am a little disappointed," I teased.

"Why?" he asked, puzzled.

"Well, it would be nice if I could find just _one_ thing you didn't do better than everyone else on the planet."

Jack flashed his special crooked smile, leaving me breathless as always. "I'm up," he said, heading for the plate.

He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of Zahra's always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like lightning before Craig could get the ball back in play. Mike knocked one so far out of the field; with a boom that hurt my ears, that he and Jake both made it in. Quinn slapped them dainty high fives.

The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any street ballplayers as they took turns with the lead. Occasionally Grace would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but we stayed dry, as Quinn had predicted.

Mike was up to bat, Jake catching, when Quinn suddenly gasped. My eyes were on Jake, as usual, and I saw his head snap up to look at her. Their eyes met and something flowed between them in an instant. He was at my side before the others could ask Quinn what was wrong.

"Quinn?" Grace's voice was tense.

"I didn't see... I couldn't tell," she whispered.

All the others were gathered by this time.

"What is it, Quinn?" Mike asked with the calm voice of authority, all trace of his usual humour disappeared at the change in atmosphere.

"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see... I had the perspective wrong before," she murmured.

Kele leaned over her, his posture protective. "What changed?" he asked.

"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," she said, contrite, as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her.

Seven pairs of quick eyes flashed to my face and away.

"How soon?" Mike said, turning toward Jake.

A look of intense concentration crossed his face.

"Less'n five minutes. They're runnin'; they wanna play." He scowled.

"Can ya make it?" Mike asked him, his eyes flicking toward me again.

"No, not carryin'—" He cut short. "Besides, last thing we need is for 'em to catch his scent and start huntin'."

"How many?" Craig asked Quinn.

"Three," she answered tersely.

"Three!" he scoffed. "Let 'em come." The steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms.

For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Mike deliberated. Only Craig seemed unperturbed; the rest stared at Mike's face with anxious eyes.

"Let's just play the game," Mike finally decided. His voice was unusually cool and level; devoid of his usual carefree attitude. "Quinn said they're simply curious."

All this was said in a flurry of words that lasted only a few seconds. I had listened carefully and caught most of it, though I couldn't hear what Grace now asked Jake with a silent vibration of her lips. I only saw the slight shake of his head and the look of relief on her face.

_"You_ catch, Grace," he said. "I'll call it now." And he planted himself in front of me.

The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with their sharp eyes. Quinn and Grace seemed to orient themselves around where I stood.

"Put my jacket on," Jake said in a low, even voice, slipping out of his jacket in the blink of an eye.

I obediently slid my arms out of my jacket and into his; my heart thudding loudly in my own ears the entire time.

I stated the obvious. "The others are coming now."

"Yeah. Stay real still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side." He hid the stress in his voice well, but I could hear it. He pulled jacket up as high as he could around my neck.

"That won't help," Quinn said softly. "I could smell him across the field."

"I know." A hint of frustration colored his tone.

Mike stood at the plate, and the others joined the game halfheartedly.

"What did Grace ask you?" I whispered.

He hesitated for a second before he answered. "If they're thirsty," he muttered unwillingly.

The seconds ticked by; the game progressed with apathy now. No one dared to hit harder than a bunt, and Craig, Zahra, and Kele hovered in the infield. Now and again, despite the fear that numbed my brain, I was aware of Zahra's eyes on me. They were expressionless, but something about the way she held her mouth made me think she was angry.

Jake paid no attention to the game at all, eyes and mind ranging the forest.

"I'm sorry, Taylor," he muttered fiercely. "It was stupid, irresponsible, exposin' ya like this. I'm sorry."

I was about to reply, to beg he not blame himself, when I heard his breath stop, and his eyes zeroed in on right field. He took a half step, angling himself between me and what was coming.

Mike, Craig, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing sounds of passage much too faint for my ears.


	18. Hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The heart break sets in... buckle your seatbelts, ya'll!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this addition - see you all again soon!
> 
> It was a challenge figuring out who fills Laurant's role who'd also be connected to Lundgren or Fiddler, but we went away with that idea and just settled for a CHOICES character known to be a charmer.
> 
> And let it be known, Craig makes an awesome Emmett.
> 
> We hope you have no qualms over the casting so far. 
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Hunted**

They emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters apart. The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing the other male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall, darkman in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack. The third was a woman; from this distance, all I could see of her was that her hair was a snarling mass of vibrant red dreadlocks.

They closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Jake's family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind.

As they approached, I could see how different they were from the Darwin's. Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers: jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. Both men had shaven heads, but the woman's dreadlocks were filled with leaves and debris from the woods.

Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of Mike, who, flanked by Craig and Kele, stepped guardedly forward to meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each straightened into a more casual, erect bearing.

The man in front was easily the most beautiful, though both male's skin was chocolate toned beneath the typical pallor, the man in front was of a medium build, hard-muscled, of course, but nothing next to Craig's brawn. He smiled an easy smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth.

The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing her, and the loose grouping around me, her wild red dreadlocks quivering in the slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline. The second male hovered unobtrusively behind them, bulkier than the leader, his features hard and calculating but nondescript. His eyes, though completely still, somehow seemed the most vigilant.

Their eyes were different, too. Not the gold, black bright colours I had come to expect, but a deep burgundy color that was both disturbing and sinister.

The dark man in front, still smiling, stepped toward Mike.

"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice with the slightest of French accents. "I'm Grant, these are Jeanine and Rex." He gestured to the vampires beside him.

"I'm Mike. This is my family, Craig and Kele, Zahra, Grace and Quinn, Jake and Taylor." He pointed us out in groups, deliberately not calling attention to individuals. I felt a shock when he said my name. I told myself this was absolutely the wrong time to blush, pushing viciously at the pleased thrill which travelled up my spine.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Grant asked sociably.

Mike matched Grant's friendly tone. "Actually, we're just finishin' up. But we'd certainly be interested 'nother time. Are ya plannin' to stay in the area long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."

"Naw, this region's usually empty 'cept for us and the occasional visitor, like yaselves."

The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into a casual conversation; I guessed that Kele was using his peculiar gift to control the situation.

"What's your hunting range?" Grant casually inquired.

Mike ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. "The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We gotta permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up in the Ural mountains, Russia."

Grant rocked back on his heels slightly.

"Permanent? How do you manage that?" There was honest curiosity in his voice.

"Why don't ya come home with us and we can talk comfortable like?" Mike invited. "'S a long ass story."

Rex and Jeanine exchanged a surprised look at the mention of the word "home," but Grant controlled his expression better.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome." His smile was genial. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ohio, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." His eyes moved appreciatively over Mike's refined appearance.

"Uh, don't take offense or nothin', but we'd 'preciate it if ya'd refrain from huntin' in this area. We gotta stay inconspicuous, ya understand," Mike explained.

"Of course." Grant nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway," he laughed. A shiver ran up my spine.

"We'll show ya the way if ya'd like to run with us... Craig and Quinn, _you_ go with Jake and Taylor to get the Jeep," he casually added.

Three things seemed to happen simultaneously while Mike was speaking. Jake's jacket ruffled around my throat with the light breeze, Jake stiffened, and the second male, Rex, suddenly whipped his head around, scrutinizing me, his nostrils flaring. A swift rigidity fell on all of them as Rex lurched one step forward into a crouch. Jake shoves me back carefully but swiftly. In my surprise, I stumbled on my feet but I didn't get a chance to fall towards the ground as the ready hands of Quinn and Grace caught me, and steadied me. I keep my worried eyes on Jake, however, as he bared his teeth, crouching in defense, a feral snarl ripping from his throat.

It was nothing like the playful sounds I'd heard from him this morning; it was the single most menacing thing I had ever heard, and chills ran from the crown of my head to the back of my heels.

"What's this?" Grant exclaimed in open surprise. Neither Rex nor Jake relaxed their aggressive poses. Rex feinted slightly to the side, and Jake shifted in response.

"He's with us." Mike's firm rebuff was directed toward Rex. Grant seemed to catch my scent less powerfully than Rex, but awareness now dawned on his face.

"You brought a snack?" he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an involuntary step forward.

Jake snarled even more ferociously, harshly, his lip curling high above his glistening, bared teeth. Grant stepped back again.

"I said... he's with us," Mike corrected in a hard voice.

"But he's human," Grant protested. The words were not at all aggressive, merely astounded.

"Yeah." Craig was very much in evidence at Mike's side, his eyes on Rex. Rex slowly straightened out of his crouch, but his eyes never left me, his nostrils still wide. Jake stayed tensed like a wolf in front of me.

When Grant spoke, his tone was soothing; trying to defuse the sudden hostility. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."

"Sounds right." Mike's voice was still cool.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation." His eyes flicked toward me and back to Mike. "And, of course, we will not harm the human. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."

Rex glanced in disbelief and aggravation at Grant and exchanged another brief look with Jeanine, whose eyes still flickered edgily from face to face.

Mike measured Grant's open expression for a moment before he spoke. "We'll show ya the way. Kele, Zahra, Grace?" he called. They gathered together, blocking me from view as they converged.

Quinn was instantly at my side, and Craig fell back slowly, his eyes locked on Rex as he backed toward us.

"Let's go, Taylor." Jake's voice was low and bleak.

This whole time I'd been rooted in place, stunned into absolute immobility. Jake had to grip my elbow and pull sharply to break my trance. Quinn and Craig were close behind us, hiding me. I stumbled alongside Jake, still numb with shock. I couldn't hear if the main group had left yet. Jake's impatience was almost tangible as we moved at human speed to the forest edge.

Once we were into the trees, Jake slung me over his back without breaking stride. I gripped as tightly as possible as he took off, the others close on his heels. I kept my head down, but my eyes, wide with shock, wouldn't close. They plunged through the now-black forest like wraiths. The sense of exhilaration that usually seemed to possess Jake as he ran was completely absent, replaced by a fury that consumed him and drove him still faster. Even with me on his back, the others trailed behind.

We reached the Jeep in an impossibly short time, and Jake barely slowed as he flung me in the backseat.

"Strap him in," he ordered Craig, who slid in beside me and did as he was bid.

Quinn was already in the front seat, and Jake was starting the engine. It roared to life and we swerved backward, spinning around to face the winding road.

Jake was growling something too fast for me to understand, but it sounded a lot like a string of profanities. The jolting trip was much worse this time, and the darkness only made it more frightening. Craig and Quinn both glared out the side windows. We hit the main road, and though our speed increased, I could see much better where we were going. And we were headed south, away from Cedar Cove.

"Where are we going?" I asked, finding my voice at last. No one answered. No one even looked at me. "Dammit, Jake! Where are you taking me?"

"We gotta get ya away from here; far away. Now." Jake didn't look back, his eyes on the road. The speedometer read a hundred and five miles an hour.

"Turn around! You have to take me home!" I shouted. I struggled with the stupid harness, tearing at the straps.

"Craig," Jake said grimly. And Craig secured my hands in his steely grasp.

"No! Jake! No, you can't do this."

"I gotta, Taylor, now shut the hell up."

"I won't! You have to take me back! Scott will call the FBI! They'll be all over your family! Mike, Grace, Zahra! They'll have to leave, to hide forever!"

"Calm down, Taylor." His voice was cold. "We been there before."

"Not over me, you don't! You're _not_ ruining everything over _me!"_ I struggled violently, with total futility.

Quinn spoke for the first time. "Jake, pull over."

He flashed her a hard look, and then sped up.

"Jake, let's just talk this through."

"Ya don't understand," he roared in frustration. I'd never heard his voice so loud; it was deafening in the confines of the Jeep. The speedometer neared one hundred and fifteen. "He's a tracker, Quinn, did ya _see_ that? He's a _tracker!"_

I felt Craig stiffen next to me, and I wondered at his reaction to the word. It meant something more to the three of them than it did to me; I wanted to understand, but there was no opening for me to ask.

"Pull over, Jake." Quinn's tone was reasonable, but there was a ring of authority in it I'd never heard before.

The speedometer inched passed one-twenty.

_"Do_ it, Jake."

"Listen up, Red. I saw his mind. Trackin' is his passion, his _obsession;_ and he wants him, Red, _him,_ specifically. Hunt begins tonight."

"He doesn't know where—"

Jake interrupted her. "How long d'ya think it'll take him to cross his scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were outta Grant's mouth."

I gasped, knowing where my scent would lead. "Scott! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!" I thrashed against Craig and the harness. "That's my goddamn father, you asshole!"

"He's right," Quinn said.

The car slowed slightly.

"Let's just look at our options for a minute," Quinn coaxed.

The car slowed again, more noticeably, and then suddenly we screeched to a stop on the shoulder of the highway. I flew against the harness, and then slammed back into the seat.

"There ain't no options," Jake hissed between his teeth.

"I'm _not_ leaving Scott!" I yelled.

He ignored me completely.

"Yo, we gotta take him back, bro." Craig finally spoke.

"No." Jake was absolute.

"He's no match for us, Jake. He won't be able to touch Taylor."

"He'll wait."

Craig smiled. "I can wait, too."

"Ya didn't see; ya don't _understand._ Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakable. We'd have to kill him."

Craig didn't seem upset by the idea. "Brah, you're just making my day better by the second here."

"And the Predator Wannabe. She's with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader'll go with 'em, too."

"There are enough of us."

"There's another option," Quinn said quietly.

Jake turned on her in fury, his voice a blistering snarl. "_There ain't no other option!_"

Craig and I both stared at him in shock, but Quinn seemed un-surprised. The silence lasted for a long minute as Jake and Quinn stared each other down.

I broke it. "Does anyone want to hear my plan?"

"No," Jake growled. Quinn glared at him, finally provoked.

"Listen," I pleaded. "You take me back."

"No, shut up and let me keep ya safe." He interrupted viciously.

I glared at him and continued. "You take me back. I tell my dad I want to go home to Sunset Beach. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. He'll follow us and leave Scott alone. Scott won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want."

They stared at me, stunned.

"That's... not a bad idea, really." Craig's surprise was definitely an insult. I was too worked up to resist sticking my tongue out at him. He laughed gleefully.

"It might work... and we simply can't leave his father unprotected. You _know_ that," Quinn said.

Everyone looked at Jake.

"'S too dangerous. I don't want the bastard within a hundred miles of Taylor."

Craig was supremely confident. "Jake, dude, he's not getting through us."

Quinn thought for a minute. "I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave him alone."

"Ain't gonna take long for him to realize that ain't gonna happen."

"I demand that you take me home." I tried to sound firm. Jake pressed his fingers to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut. "Please," I said in a much smaller voice.

He didn't look up. When he spoke, his voice sounded worn.

"Ya leavin' _tonight,_ whether the tracker sees or not. Ya tell Scott ya can't stand another minute in Cedar Cove. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things ya damn hands touch, and then get in ya truck. I don't care what he says to ya. Ya got fifteen minutes. D'ya hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time ya cross the doorstep, or so help me, I'll carry ya outta there myself."

The Jeep rumbled to life, and he spun us around, the tires squealing. The needle on the speedometer started to race up the dial.

"Craig?" I asked, looking pointedly at my hands.

"Oh, sorry, little man." He let me loose.

A few minutes passed in silence, other than the roar of the engine. Then Jake spoke again.

"This is how it's going to happen. When we get to the house, if the tracker ain't there, I'll walk ya to the door. Then ya got ya fifteen minutes." He glared at me in the rear view mirror. "Craig, _you_ take the outside of the house. Quinn, _you_ get the truck. I'll be inside as long as he is. After he's out, ya can both take the Jeep home and tell Mike."

"No way, brah." Craig broke in. "I'm with you."

"Think it through, Drax. I dunno how long I'll be gone."

"Until we know how far this is going to go, I'm with you." Craig repeated stubbornly.

Jake sighed. "If the tracker's there," he continued grimly, "we keep drivin'."

"We're going to make it there before him," Quinn said confidently.

Jake seemed to accept that. Whatever his problem with Quinn was, he didn't doubt her now.

"What are we going to do with the Jeep?" she asked.

His voice had a hard edge. "Ya drivin' it home."

"No, I'm not," she said calmly.

The unintelligible stream of profanities started again.

"We can't all fit in my truck," I whispered. Jake didn't appear to hear me. "I think you should let me go alone," I said even more quietly. He heard that.

"Taylor, we do this my way; just this once," he said between clenched teeth.

"Listen, Scott's not a moron," I protested. "If _you're_ not in town tomorrow, he's going to get suspicious."

"Irrelevant. We'll make sure he's safe. That's all that matters."

"Then what about this tracker? He saw the way you acted tonight. He's going to think you're with me, wherever you are."

Craig looked at me, insultingly surprised again. "Jake, listen to him," he urged. "I think he's right."

"Yes, he is," Quinn agreed.

"I ain't gonna do that." Jake's voice was icy.

"Craig should stay, too," I continued. "He definitely got an eyeful of Craig."

"What?" Craig turned on me.

"You'll get a better crack at him if you stay," Quinn agreed.

Jake stared at her incredulously. "Ya think I oughta let him go alone?"

"Of course not," Quinn said. "Kele and I will take him."

"I can't do that," Jake repeated, but this time there was a trace of defeat in his voice. The logic was working on him.

I tried to be persuasive. "Hang out here for a week—" I saw his expression in the mirror and amended, "fine; a few days! Let Scott see you haven't kidnapped me, and lead this Rex on a wild-goose chase. Make sure he's completely off my trail. Then come and meet me. Take a roundabout route, of course, and then Kele and Quinn can go home."

I could see him beginning to consider it.

"Meet ya where?"

"Sunset Beach." Of course.

"No. He'll hear that's where ya goin'." He said impatiently.

"And you'll make it look like that's a ruse, obviously. He'll know that we'll know that he's listening. He'll never believe I'm actually going where I say I am going."

"Noice. He's diabolical, brah" Craig chuckled.

"You really have no faith in me at all, do you?" I asked in exasperation, turning to the hulking brute beside me with a reproachful scowl.

Any other time, I might have thought twice about goading the large vampire, but for with Jake being such a controlling jerk, I could't bring myself to care if Craig killed me for my insolence.

"Ha, nah bro, I'm just surprised Jake actually found someone smart enough to outwit him." He snickered.

I realised the comment could be taken one of two ways, and decided to take it as a compliment.

"And if that don't work?"

"There are several million people in Sunset Beach," I informed him.

"Ain't hard to find a phone book."

"I won't go home."

"Oh?" he inquired, a dangerous note in his voice.

"I'm old enough to get my own place, you know."

"Jake, we'll be with him," Quinn reminded him.

"What the hell're _you_ gonna do in Sunset Beach?" he asked her scathingly.

"Stay indoors."

"I kinda like it." Craig was thinking about cornering Rex, no doubt.

"_Shut up_, Craig."

"Look bruh, I know ya'll think I'm the quiet guy..."

Jake snorted, "Literally none o' us are thinkin'. Big guy."

"But listen," Craig continued, as if Jake hadn't just dissed him. "if we try to take him down while he's still around, there's a much better chance that someone will get hurt; he'll get hurt, or you will, trying to protect him. Now, if we get him alone..." He trailed off with a slow smile.

I was right.

The Jeep was crawling slowly along now as we drove into town. Despite my brave talk, I could feel the hairs on my arms standing up. I thought about Scott, alone in the house, and tried to be courageous.

"Taylor." Jake's voice was very soft. Quinn and Craig looked out their windows. "If ya let anythin' happen to yourself; anythin' at all... I'm holdin' you personally responsible. D'ya understand that?"

"Yes," I gulped.

He turned to Quinn.

"Can Kele handle this?"

"Give him some credit, Jake." Quinn huffed indignantly, "He's been doing very, very well, all things considered."

"Can _you_ handle this?" he asked.

And graceful little Quinn pulled back her lips in a horrific grimace and let loose with a guttural snarl that had me cowering against the seat in terror.

Jake smiled at her. "But keep ya damn opinions to yaself," he muttered suddenly.


	19. Leaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was enjoyable to write Scott and Taylor's relationship, similar but also distinct to that of Bella and Charlie's. 
> 
> So, obviously, this was even more painful to read about.
> 
> Nevertheless, we hoped you enjoyed this chapter as much as the rest we've done so far.
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Leaving**

Scott was waiting up for me. All the house lights were on. My mind was blank as I tried to think of a way to make him let me go. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

Jake pulled up slowly, staying well back from my truck. All three of them were acutely alert, ramrod straight in their seats, listening to every sound of the wood, looking through every shadow, catching every scent, searching for something out of place. The engine cut off, and I sat, motionless, as they continued to listen.

"He ain't here," Jake said tensely. "Let's go." Craig reached over to help me get out of the harness.

"Don't worry, Taylor," he said in a low but cheerful voice, "we'll take care of things here quickly."

I felt moisture filling up my eyes as I looked at Craig. I barely knew him, and yet, somehow, not knowing when I would see him again after tonight was anguishing. I knew this was just a faint taste of the goodbyes I would have to survive in the next hour, and the thought made the tears begin to spill.

"Quinn, Craig." Jake's voice was a command. They slithered soundlessly into the darkness, instantly disappearing. Jake opened my door and took my hand, then drew me into the protecting enclosure of his arm. He walked me swiftly toward the house, eyes always roving through the night.

"Fifteen minutes," he warned under his breath.

"I can do this." I sniffled. My tears had given me an inspiration.

I stopped on the porch and took hold of his face in my hands. I looked fiercely into his eyes.

"I love you," I said in a low, intense voice. "I will _always_ love you... no matter what happens now."

"Nothin's gonna happen to ya, Taylor," he said just as fiercely.

"Just follow the plan, okay? Keep Scott safe for me. He's not going to like me very much after this, and I want to have the chance to apologize later."

"Get ya ass inside, Taylor. We gotta hurry." His voice was urgent.

"One more thing," I whispered passionately. "Don't listen to another word I say tonight..." He was leaning in, and so all I had to do was stretch up on my toes to kiss his surprised, frozen lips with as much force as I was capable of. Then I turned and kicked the door open.

"Fuck _off_, Jake!" I yelled at him, running inside and slamming the door shut in his still-shocked face.

"Taylor?" Scott had been hovering in the living room, and he was already on his feet.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed at him through my tears, which were flowing relentlessly now. I ran up the stairs to my room, throwing the door shut and locking it. I ran to my bed, flinging myself on the floor to retrieve my duffel bag. I reached swiftly between the mattress and box spring to grab the knotted old sock that contained my secret cash hoard.

Scott was pounding on my door. "Taylor, are you okay? What's going on?" His voice was frightened.

"I'm going _home,"_ I shouted, my voice breaking in the perfect spot.

"Did he hurt you?" His tone edged toward anger.

_"No!"_ I shrieked a few octaves higher. I turned to my dresser, and Jake was already there, silently yanking out armfuls of random clothes, which he proceeded to throw to me.

"Did he break up with you?" Scott was perplexed.

_"No!"_ I yelled, slightly more breathless as I shoved everything into the bag. Jake threw another drawer's contents at me. The bag was pretty much full now.

"What happened, Taylor?" Scott shouted through the door, pounding again.

"I broke up with him!" I shouted back, jerking on the zipper of my bag. Jake's capable hands pushed mine away and zipped it smoothly. He put the strap carefully over my arm.

"I'll be in the truck; go!" he whispered, and pushed me toward the door. He vanished out the window.

I unlocked the door and pushed past Scott roughly, struggling with my heavy bag as I ran down the stairs. "What happened?" he yelled. He was right behind me. "I thought you liked him."

He caught my elbow in the kitchen. Though he was still bewildered, his grip was firm.

He spun me around to look at him, and I could see in his face that he had no intention of letting me leave. I could think of only one way to escape, and it involved hurting him so much that I hated myself for even considering it. But I had no time, and I had to keep him safe.

I glared up at my father, fresh tears in my eyes for what I was about to do.

"I _do_ like him! That's the fucking problem. I can't do this anymore! I can't let myself get anymore into him! Mom and Jordan were right; I never should have come here! I came to go to college, for god's sake! I'm not going to make the same dumb mistake mom did, to give up everything just because I fell in love! I won't fucking do it! I can't stay here another goddamn second!"

His hand dropped from my arm like I'd electrocuted him. I turned away from his shocked, wounded face and headed for the door.

"Tay-Bear... you can't leave now. It's nighttime," he whispered behind me.

I didn't turn around. "I'll sleep in the truck if I get tired."

"Just wait another week," he pleaded, still shell-shocked. "Julia will be back by then."

This completely derailed me. "What?"

Scott continued eagerly, almost babbling with relief as I hesitated. "She called while you were out. Things aren't going so well in New York, and if Jor-Bull doesn't get signed by the end of the week, they're all going back to Sunset Beach. The assistant coach of the Memphis Tigers said they might have a spot for another shortstop."

I shook my head, trying to reassemble my now-confused thoughts. Every passing second put Scott in more danger.

"I have a key," I muttered, turning the knob. He was too close, one hand extended toward me, his face dazed. I couldn't lose any more time arguing with him. I was going to have to hurt him further.

"Just let me go, Scott." I repeated my mother's last words as she'd walked out this same door so many years ago. I said them as angrily as I could manage, and I threw the door open. "It just didn't work out, okay?" I could only hope Scott didn't hear the tremor in my voice, because I knew if he doubted me for a second he wouldn't hesitate to drag me back inside. "I'm sorry, I can't be this person."

My cruel words did their job. Scott stayed frozen on the doorstep, stunned, while I ran into the night. I was hideously guilty as I crossed the yard, yearning to turn around and throw my arms around my father and beg for forgiveness. But I loved him too much to put him back in dangers path now. I ran wildly for the truck, visualizing a dark shadow behind me. I threw my bag in the bed and wrenched the door open. The key was waiting in the ignition.

"I'll call you tomorrow!" I yelled, wishing more than anything that I could explain everything to him right then, knowing I would never be able to. I gunned the engine and peeled out.

Jake reached for my hand. "Pull over," he said softly as the house, and Scott, disappeared behind us.

"I can drive," I bit out determinedly through the tears pouring down my cheeks.

"Ya gonna drive straight into a damn a wreck, Taylor." Jake snorted. "Lemme."

His long hands unexpectedly gripped my waist, and his foot pushed mine off the gas pedal. He pulled me across his lap, wrenching my hands free of the wheel, and suddenly he was in the driver's seat. The truck didn't swerve an inch.

"Ya wouldn't be able to find the house," he explained.

Lights flared suddenly behind us. I stared out the back window, eyes wide with horror.

"'S just Quinn," he reassured me. He took my hand again.

My mind was filled with the image of Scott in the doorway. "The tracker?"

"Heard the end of ya performance," Jake said grimly.

"Scott?" I asked in dread.

"Trackers followin' us. He's runnin' behind us now."

My body went cold.

I took a breath, trying to get a grip of myself. "So... Can we outrun him?"

"No." Jake replied, though he looked down at the speedometer as he answered. "But we can sure as hell try." He added, speeding he sped up as he spoke. The truck's engine whined in protest.

My plan suddenly didn't feel so brilliant anymore. I was staring back at Quinn's headlights when the truck shuddered and a dark shadow sprung up outside the window. My terrified squeak lasted a fraction of a second before Jake's hand clamped down on my mouth.

"It's Craig!"

He released my mouth, and wound his arm around my waist.

"It's _okay,_ Taylor," he promised. "You're gonna be safe."

We raced through the quiet town toward the north highway.

"I didn't know ya were so against fallin' in love," he said conversationally, and I knew he was trying to distract me. "It seemed like ya were more'n happy with the concept earlier today... Maybe I was just flatterin' myself I made ya happy, instead of miserable."

"I wasn't being nice," I confessed, ignoring his attempt at diversion, looking down at my knees. "That was the same thing my mom said ...when she took me and Jordan, and left him. You could say I was hitting below the belt."

Scott would be safe, I tried to take solace in that. But it was difficult; maybe I could've thought of something else for him to let me leave. "What... did he think?"

"Seemed pretty convinced."

I whimpered, "That's... not as assuring as I'd hope..." covered my face to muffle my sobs. "God, I'm a monster."

"A damn vampire, naw, perfectly normal for ya. But humans with emotional breakdowns..."

I shook my head insistently. "But it wasn't a real breakdown, that was me using his weakness against him..." I choked on my words once more. "I hurt him bad, Jake..." 

"Was to keep him safe... he'd understand; and he'll forgive ya. Now ya just focus and lemme think about keepin' ya safe from this dumbass tracker." He smiled a little, though it didn't touch his eyes.

I stared at him desperately, and he saw the naked panic in my eyes.

"Taylor, it's gonna be alright."

"But it won't be alright when I'm not with you," I whispered, knowing I was pouting childishly but unable to wipe the expression from my face.

"We'll be together 'gain in a couple days," he said, tightening his arm around me. "Don't forget, this was _your_ idea."

"It was the best idea; of course it was mine."

His answering smile was bleak and disappeared immediately.

"Why did this happen?" I asked, my voice catching. "Why me?"

He stared blackly at the road ahead. "'S my fault. I was a dumbass to expose ya like that." The rage in his voice was directed internally.

"That's not what I meant," I insisted. "I was there, big deal. It didn't bother the other two. Why did this Rex asshole decide to kill me? There are people all over the place, why me?"

He hesitated, thinking before he answered.

"I got a good look at his mind tonight," he began in a low voice. "I ain't sure if there's anythin' I could've done to avoid this, once he saw ya. It is partially _your_ fault." His voice was wry. "If ya didn't smell so goddamn temptin', he might not've bothered. But when I defended ya... well, that made it a lot worse. He ain't used to bein' thwarted, no matter how piss poor the object. He has a touch of military trainin'... but it's old, from his former life. Now, he thinks of himself as a hunter and nothin' else. His existence is consumed with trackin', and a challenge is all he wants in life. Suddenly we've presented him with a beautiful challenge; a large clan of strong fighters all bent on protectin' the one weak link. Ya wouldn't believe how euphoric he is now. 'S his favorite game, and we've just made it his most excitin' game ever." His tone was full of disgust.

He paused a moment.

"But if I'd stood by, he would've killed ya right then," he said with hopeless frustration.

"I thought... I didn't smell the same to the others... as I do to you," I said hesitantly.

"Ya don't. But that don't mean ya ain't still a temptation to every one of 'em. If ya'd appealed to the tracker; or any of 'em, the same way ya do to me, it would've meant a fight right there."

I shuddered.

"I don't think I got any choice but to kill him now," he muttered. "Mike won't like it."

I could hear the tires cross the bridge, though I couldn't see the river in the dark. I knew we were getting close. I had to ask him now.

"How can you kill a vampire?"

He glanced at me with unreadable eyes and his voice was suddenly harsh. "Only way to be sure is to tear 'em to shreds, and then burn the pieces."

"And the other two will fight with him?"

"The woman will. I ain't sure about Grant. They don't have that strong of a bond; he's only with them for safety, company. He's embarrassed by Rex in the meadow..."

"But Rex and the woman; they'll try to kill you?" I asked, my voice raw.

"Taylor, don't ya dare waste time worryin' 'bout _me._ Ya only concern is keepin' yaself safe and; _tryin'_ not to be reckless."

"Is he still following?"

"Yeah. He won't attack the house, though. Not tonight... too many unknowns."

He turned off onto the invisible drive, with Quinn following behind.

We drove right up to the house. The lights inside were bright, but they did little to alleviate the blackness of the encroaching forest. Craig had my door open before the truck was stopped; he pulled me out of the seat, tucked me like a football into his vast chest, and ran me through the door.

We burst into the large white room, Jake and Quinn at our sides. All of them were there; they were already on their feet at the sound of our approach. Grant stood in their midst. I could hear low growls rumble deep in Craig's throat as he set me down next to Jake.

"He's trackin' us," Jake announced, glaring balefully at Grant.

Grant's face was unhappy. "I was afraid of that."

Quinn danced to Kele's side and whispered in his ear; her lips quivered with the speed of her silent speech. They flew up the stairs together. Zahra watched them, and then moved quickly to Craig's side. Her beautiful eyes were intense and; when they flickered unwillingly to my face, furious.

"What'll he do?" Mike asked Grant in chilling tones; a stark contrast to his usual cheerful, laughter filled voice.

"I'm sorry," he answered. "I was afraid, when your friend there defended him, that it would set Rex off."

"Can ya stop him?"

Grant shook his head. "Nothing stops Rex when he gets started."

"We'll stop him," Craig promised. There was no doubt what he meant.

"You can't bring him down. I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven."

His coven, I thought, of course. The show of leadership in the clearing was merely that, a show.

Grant was shaking his head. He glanced at me, perplexed, and back to Mike. "Are you sure it's worth it?"

Jake's enraged roar filled the room; Grant cringed back.

Mike looked gravely at Grant. "'Fraid ya gonna have to make a choice, pal."

Grant understood. He deliberated for a moment. His eyes took in every face, and finally swept the bright room.

"I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against Rex. I think I will head to that clan in the Ural mountains." He hesitated. "Don't underestimate Rex. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on... I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry." He bowed his head, but I saw him flicker another puzzled look at me.

"Good luck," was Mike's formal answer. "Don't let the door hit ya ass on the way out." Was his follow up answer. Perhaps his sense of humour hadn't entirely evaporated.

Grant took another long look around himself, and then he hurried out the door.

The silence lasted less than a second.

"How close?" Mike looked to Jake.

Grace was already moving; her hand touched an inconspicuous keypad on the wall, and with a groan, huge metal shutters began sealing up the glass wall. I gaped.

"'Bout three miles out past the river; he's circlin' around to meet up with the female."

"What's the plan?"

"We'll lead him off, and then Kele and Quinn will run him south."

"And then?"

Jake's tone was deadly. "Soon as Taylor is clear, we hunt him."

"I guess there ain't no other choice," Mike agreed, his face grim.

Jake turned to Craig.

"Get him upstairs and trade clothes," Jake commanded. Zahra put her arm out to stop Craig from complying, staring back at Jake with livid disbelief.

"Why the fuck should he?" She hissed. "What is he to us? Except a goddamn menace; a danger _you've_ chosen to inflict on all of us."

I flinched back from the venom in her voice.

"Z..." Craig murmured, putting one hand on her shoulder. She shook it off.

But I was watching Jake carefully, knowing his temper, worried about his reaction. He surprised me. He looked away from Zahra as if she hadn't spoken, as if she didn't exist. "Mike?" He asked calmly.

"'Course," Mike replied more cheerfully.

Mike was at my side in half a heartbeat, swinging me up easily into his arms, and dashing up the stairs before I could gasp in shock.

"What are we doing?" I asked breathlessly as he set me down in a dark room somewhere off the second-story hall.

"Tryin' to confuse the smell. Ain't gonna work for long, but it might help get ya out." I could hear his clothes falling to the floor.

"I don't think I'll fit..." I hesitated, but his hands were abruptly pulling my shirt over my head. I quickly stripped my jeans off myself to save myself from flushing bright red. He snickered as he handed me something, it felt like a shirt. I struggled to get my arms through the right holes. As soon as I was done he handed me his jeans. I yanked them on, but I couldn't get my feet out; they were too long. Mike deftly rolled the hems a few times so I could stand. I realised he was already in my clothes, something I'm sure would have surprised me once, but now I barely blinked at.

"Hey..." Mike said quickly, as he pulled me back into his arms. "Don't let this get ya down, yeah? Grandpa's gonna be impossible for awhile... gonna need ya to keep him in line for me, 'kay?" He said, eyeing me cautiously as he waited for a response. I couldn't find my voice, so I offered a watery smile and a weak nod as promise, while he carried me back to the stairs, where Quinn stood, a small leather bag in one hand. Mike carried me as they flew down the stairs, Quinn dancing along a step behind him.

It appeared that everything had been settled downstairs in our absence. Jake and Craig were ready to leave, Craig carrying a heavy looking backpack over his shoulder. Kele was handing something small to Grace. He turned and handed Quinn the same thing; it was a tiny silver cell phone.

"Grace and Zahra'll be takin' ya truck, Taylor." Mike told me as he set me down and took one of the tiny cell phones himself. I nodded, glancing warily at Zahra. She was glowering at Mike with a resentful expression.

"Quinn, Kele; take the Merc. Ya'll need the dark tint."

They nodded as well.

"We're takin' the Jeep." I was surprised to see that Mike intended to go with Jake. I realized suddenly, with a stab of fear, that they made up the hunting party. "Ariel," Mike asked, "they gonna take the bait?"

Everyone watched Quinn as she closed her eyes and became incredibly still.

Finally her eyes opened. "He'll track _you._ The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that." Her voice was certain.

"Let's go." Mike began to walk toward the kitchen.

But Jake was at my side at once. He caught me up in his iron grip, crushing me to him. He seemed unaware of his watching family as he pulled my face to his, lifting my feet off the floor. For the shortest second, his lips were icy and hard against mine. Then it was over. He set me down, still holding my face, his glorious eyes burning into mine as they bled slowly from clear cerulean to a glimmering gold.

They turned blank, curiously dead, as he turned away.

And then they were gone.

We stood there, the others looking away from me as the tears streaked noiselessly down my face. The silent moment dragged on, and then Grace's phone vibrated in her hand. It flashed to her ear.

"Now," she said. Zahra stalked out the front door without another glance in my direction, but Grace touched my cheek as she passed.

"Be safe." Her whisper lingered behind them as they slipped out the door. I heard my truck start thunderously, and then fade away.

Kele and Quinn waited. Quinn's phone seemed to be at her ear before it buzzed.

"Jake says the woman is on Grace's trail. I'll get the car." She vanished into the shadows the way Jake had gone.

Kele and I looked at each other. He stood across the length of the entryway from me... ever careful.

"You're wrong, you know," he said quietly.

"What?" I gasped.

"I can feel what you're feeling now... and you are worth it."

"Didn't you once vote to end my life?" I asked bitterly, swiping furiously at my wet cheeks. "Specifically to avoid this kind of trouble for your family?" 

Kele seemed lost for how to respond for a moment, before nodding his head and drawing in a deep breath. "I did." He admitted, as guilt touched my heart, regretting that I'd lashed out without thinking. "I was wrong." He added a second later, as I turned and blinked at him in surprise. "You make Jake very happy... that's not something I've really seen him be. So, you're very much worth it."

"I'm not," I mumbled. "If anything happens to them, it will be for nothing."

"You're wrong," he repeated, smiling kindly at me.

I heard nothing, but then Quinn stepped through the front door and came toward me with her arms held out.

"May I?" she asked.

"You're the first one to ask permission." I smiled wryly.

She lifted me in her slender arms as easily as Craig had, shielding me protectively, and then we flew out the door, leaving the lights bright behind us.


	20. Restless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like the title of this chapter, we must be really restless because it hasn't been a month yet and we're almost finished with Endless Twilight.
> 
> Of course, posting them up is a different story.
> 
> It has been a real joy to do this, and hope you guys stay tuned for the following Sequels. ♡♡ 
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Restless**

When I woke up I was confused. My thoughts were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares; it took me longer than it should have to realize where I was.

This room was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls.

I tried to remember how I got here, but nothing came at first.

I did remember the sleek black car, the glass in the windows darker than that on a limousine. The engine was almost silent, though we'd raced across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed.

And I remembered Quinn sitting with me on the dark leather backseat. Somehow, during the long night, my head had ended up against her granite neck. My closeness didn't seem to bother her at all, and her cool, hard skin was oddly comforting to me; her long, thick red hair spread around my shoulder like a blanket. The front of her thin cotton shirt was cold, damp with the tears that streamed from my eyes until, red and sore, they ran dry.

Sleep had evaded me; my aching eyes strained open even though the night finally ended and dawn broke over a low peak as we raced into California. The gray light, streaking across the cloudless sky, stung my eyes. But I couldn't close them; when I did, the images that flashed all too vividly, like still slides behind my lids, were unbearable. Scott's broken expression; Jake's brutal snarl's, teeth bared. Zahra's resentful glare; the keen-eyed scrutiny of the tracker, the dead look in Jake's eyes after he kissed me the last time. I couldn't stand to see them. So I fought against my weariness; and the sun rose ever higher.

I was still awake when we came through a shallow mountain pass and the sun, behind us now, reflected off the tiled rooftops of Orange County. I didn't have enough emotion left to be surprised that we'd made a three-day journey in one. I stared blankly at the wide, flat expanse laid out in front of me. Sunset Beach; the palm trees, the gleaming sand, the haphazard lines of the intersecting freeways, the turquoise splotches of Jacuzzi's, all embraced by the short, rocky ridges that weren't really big enough to be called mountains.

The shadows of the palm trees slanted across the freeway; defined, sharper than I remembered, paler than they should be. Nothing could hide in these shadows. The bright, open freeway seemed benign enough. But I felt no relief, no sense of homecoming.

"Which way to the airport, Taylor?" Kele had asked, and I flinched, though his voice was quite soft and un-alarming. It was the first sound, besides the purr of the car, to break the long night's silence.

"Stay on the I-ten," I'd answered automatically. "We'll pass right by it." My brain had to work slowly to get through the fog of sleep deprivation. "Are we flying somewhere?" I'd asked Quinn.

"No, but it's better to be close, just in case."

I remembered beginning the loop around Sky Harbor International... but not ending it. I suppose that must have been when I'd fallen asleep.

Though, now that I'd chased the memories down, I did have a vague impression of leaving the car; the sun was just falling behind the horizon, my arm draped over Quinn's shoulder and her arm firm around my waist, dragging me along as I stumbled through the warm, dry shadows.

I had no memory of this place.

I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers claimed it was two o'clock, but they gave no indication if it was night or day. No edge of light escaped the thick curtains, but the room was bright with the light from the lamps.

I rose stiffly and staggered to the window, pulling back the drapes.

It was dark outside. Two in the morning, then. My room looked out on a deserted section of the freeway and the new long-term parking garage for the airport. It was slightly comforting to be able to pinpoint time and place.

I looked down at myself. I was still wearing Mike's clothes, and they didn't fit very well at all. I looked around the room, glad when I discovered my duffel bag on top of the low dresser.

I was on my way to find new clothes when a light tap on the door made me jump.

"Can I come in?" Quinn asked.

I took a deep breath. "Sure."

She walked in, and looked me over cautiously. "You look like you could sleep longer," she said.

I just shook my head.

She drifted silently to the curtains and closed them securely before turning back to me.

"We'll need to stay inside," she told me.

"Okay." My voice was hoarse; it cracked.

"Thirsty?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I'm okay. How about you?"

"Nothing unmanageable." She smiled. "I ordered some food for you, it's in the front room. Jake reminded me that you have to eat a lot more frequently than we do."

I was instantly more alert. "He called?"

"No," she said, and watched as my face fell. "It was before we left."

She took my hand carefully and led me through the door into the living room of the hotel suite. I could hear a low buzz of voices coming from the TV. Kele sat motionlessly at the desk in the corner, his eyes watching the news with no glimmer of interest.

I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, where a tray of food waited, and began picking at it un-enthusiastically without even noticing what I was eating.

Quinn perched on the arm of the sofa and stared blankly at the TV like Kele.

I ate slowly, watching her, turning now and then to glance quickly at Kele. It began to dawn on me that they were too still. They never looked away from the screen, though commercials were playing now. I pushed the tray away, my stomach abruptly uneasy. Quinn looked down at me.

"What's wrong, Quinn?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong." Her eyes were wide, honest... and I didn't trust them.

"What do we do now?"

"We wait for Mike to call."

"And should he have called by now?" I could see that I was near the mark.

Quinn's eyes flitted from mine to the phone on top of her leather bag and back.

"What does that mean?" My voice quavered, and I fought to control it. "That he hasn't called yet?"

"It just means that they don't have anything to tell us."

But her voice was too even, and the air was harder to breathe.

Kele was suddenly beside Quinn, closer to me than usual.

"Taylor," he said in a suspiciously soothing voice. "You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here."

"I know that."

"Then why are you frightened?" he asked, confused. He might feel the tenor of my emotions, but he couldn't read the reasons behind them.

"You heard what Grant said." My voice was just a whisper, but I was sure they could hear me. "He said Rex was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If something happens to any of them, Mike, Craig... _Jake..."_ I gulped. "If that wild female hurts Grace..." My voice had grown higher, a note of hysteria beginning to rise in it. "How could I live with myself when it's my fault? None of you should be risking yourselves for _me-"_

"Taylor, Taylor, _stop,"_ he interrupted me, his words pouring out so quickly they were hard to understand. "You're worrying about all the wrong things, Taylor. Trust me on this; none of _us_ are in jeopardy. You're under too much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me!" He ordered, for I had looked away. "Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing _you."_

"But why should you-"

Quinn interrupted this time, touching my cheek with her cold fingers. "It's been over a century that Jake's been alone. Now he's found you. _You_ can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the _next_ hundred years... if he loses you?"

My guilt slowly subsided as I looked into her dark eyes. But, even as the calm spread over me, I knew I couldn't trust my feelings with Kele there.

It was a very long day.

We stayed in the room. Quinn called down to the front desk and asked them to ignore our maid service for now. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though no one watched it. At regular intervals, food was delivered for me. The silver phone resting on Quinn's bag seemed to grow bigger as the hours passed; smothering us all as it crushed us beneath its growing weight.

My babysitters handled the suspense better than I did. As I fidgeted and paced, they simply grew more still, two statues whose eyes followed me imperceptibly as I moved. I occupied myself with memorizing the room; the striped pattern of the couches, blue, cream, green, grey, and blue again. Sometimes I stared at the abstract prints, randomly finding pictures in the shapes, like I'd found pictures in the clouds as a child. I traced a blue hand, a woman combing her hair, a cat stretching. But when the pale red circle became a staring eye, I looked away.

As the afternoon wore on, I went back to bed, simply for something to do. I hoped that by myself in the dark, I could give in to the terrible fears that hovered on the edge of my consciousness, unable to break through under Kele's careful supervision.

But Quinn followed me casually, as if by some coincidence she had grown tired of the front room at the same time. I was beginning to wonder exactly what sort of instructions Jake had given her. I lay across the bed, and she sat with her legs crossed beside me. I ignored her at first, suddenly tired enough to sleep. But after a few minutes, the panic that had held off in Kele's presence began to make itself known. I gave up on the idea of sleep quickly then, curling up into a small ball, wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Quinn?" I asked.

"Yes?"

I kept my voice very calm. "What do you think they're doing?"

"Mike wanted to lead the tracker as far north as possible, wait for him to get close, and then turn and ambush him. Grace and Zahra were supposed to head west as long as they could keep the female behind them. If she turned around, they were to head back to Cedar Cove and keep an eye on your dad. So I imagine things are going well if they can't call. It means the tracker is close enough that they don't want him to overhear."

"And Grace?"

"I think she must be back in Cedar Cove. She won't call if there's any chance the female will overhear. I expect they're all just being very careful."

"Do you think they're safe, really?"

"Taylor, how many times do we have to tell you that there's no danger to us?"

"Would you tell me the truth, though?"

"Yes. I will always tell you the truth." Her voice was earnest.

I deliberated for a moment, and decided she meant it. "Tell me then... how do you become a vampire?"

My question caught her off guard. She was quiet. I rolled over to look at her, and her expression seemed ambivalent.

"Jake doesn't want me to tell you that," she said hesitantly, so much so that I sensed she didn't agree.

"That's not fair. I think I have a right to know."

"I know."

I looked at her, waiting.

She sighed. "He'll be extremely angry."

"It's none of his business. This is between you and me. Quinn, as a friend, I'm begging you." And we were friends now, somehow; as she must have known we would be all along.

She looked at me with her splendid, wise crystal blue eyes, so similar and yet still so different to Jake's... choosing.

"I'll tell you the _mechanics_ of it," she said finally, "but I don't remember it myself, and I've never done it or seen it done, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory."

I waited.

"As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal; much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Jake, Kele, and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we're physically attractive to our prey."

I was very still, remembering how pointedly Jake had demonstrated the same concept for me in the meadow.

She smiled a wide, ominous smile. "We have another fairly superfluous weapon. We're also venomous," she said, her teeth glistening. "The venom doesn't kill; it's merely incapacitating. It works slowly, spreading through the bloodstream, so that, once bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. Mostly superfluous, as I said. If we're that close, the prey doesn't escape. Of course, there are always exceptions. Mike, for example."

"So... if the venom is left to spread..." I murmured.

"It takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart. As long as the heart keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But all that time, every minute of it; a victim would be wishing for death."

I shivered.

"It's not pleasant, you see."

"Jake said that it was very hard to do... I don't quite understand," I said.

"We're also like sharks in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it for that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to actually bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides; the blood lust on the one hand, the awful pain on the other."

I considered that for a long moment. I knew already that Jake would never want me to endure any kind of pain... and would therefore never want me to go through the change. My heart fluttered dangerously, ready to shatter, and I distracted myself quickly; asking the first question which popped into my head. "Why do you think you don't remember?"

"I don't know. For everyone else, the pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human." Her voice was wistful.

We lay silently, wrapped in our individual meditations.

The seconds ticked by, and I had almost forgotten her presence, I was so enveloped in my thoughts.

Then, without any warning, Quinn leaped from the bed, landing lightly on her feet. My head jerked up as I stared at her, startled.

"Something's changed." Her voice was urgent, and she wasn't talking to me anymore.

She reached the door at the same time Kele did. He had obviously heard our conversation and her sudden exclamation. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to the bed, sitting her on the edge.

"What do you see?" he asked intently, staring into her eyes. Her eyes were focused on something very far away. I sat close to her, leaning in to catch her low, quick voice.

"I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold... a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is the room?"

"I don't know. Something is missing; another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?"

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."

Kele's voice was calm, methodical, as he questioned her in a practiced way. "What is he doing?"

"He's watching TV... no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No, it's too dark."

"And the mirror room, what else is there?"

"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Her eyes drifted, then focused on Kele's face.

"There's nothing else?"

She shook her head. They looked at each other, motionless.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

Neither of them answered for a moment, then Kele looked at me.

"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room."

"But we don't know where those rooms are?"

"No."

"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of the others, being hunted. He'll elude them." Quinn's voice was bleak.

"Should we call?" I asked. They traded a serious look, undecided.

And the phone rang.

Quinn was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it.

She pushed a button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't speak first.

"Mike," she breathed. She didn't seem surprised or relieved, the way I felt.

"Yes," she said, glancing at me. She listened for a long moment.

"I just saw him." She described again the vision she'd seen. "Whatever made him get on that plane... it was leading him to those rooms." She paused. "Yes," Quinn said into the phone, and then she spoke to me. "Taylor?"

She held the phone out toward me. I ran to it.

"Hello?" I breathed.

"Taylor," Jake said.

"Oh, Jake!" I was so relieved to hear his voice, I couldn't help but start crying. "I was so worried."

"Taylor," he sighed in frustration, "I told ya not to worry 'bout anythin' but yaself." It was so unbelievably good to hear his voice, even just him scolding me. I felt the hovering cloud of despair lighten and drift back as he spoke, sniffling quickly as I dried my cheeks on my forearms.

"Where are you?" I asked breathlessly.

"Just outside Vancouver. Taylor, I'm sorry; we lost him. He's suspicious of us; he's careful, stayin' just far enough that I can't hear what he's thinkin'. But he's gone now... looks like he got on a plane. We think he's headin' back to Cedar Cove to start over." I could hear Quinn filling in Kele behind me, her quick words blurring together into a humming noise.

"I know. Quinn saw that he got away."

"Ya don't gotta worry, though. He won't find anythin' to lead him to ya. Ya just gotta stay there and wait 'til we find him again."

"I'll be fine. Is Grace with Scott?" I asked urgently, my stomach clenching with fear as I thought of Scott, alone and miserable because of me; because of the awful things which this bastard Rex had forced me to say to him, to keep him safe.

"Yeah; the female's been in town. She went to the house, but while Scott was at work. She ain't gone near him, so don't be 'fraid. He's safe with Grace and Zahra watchin'."

"What is she doing?"

"Probably tryin' to pick up the trail. She's been through town durin' the night. Zahra traced her through the airport, all the roads around town, the college... she's diggin', Taylor, but there ain't nothin' to find."

"And you're _sure_ Scott's safe?"

"Yeah, Grace won't let him outta her sight. And we'll be there soon. If the tracker gets anywhere near Cedar Cove, we'll have him."

"I miss you," I whispered.

"I know, Boy Scout. Believe me, I know. It's like ya took half'a me away with ya."

"Come and get it, then, Top Gun." I challenged.

"Soon," Jake promised darkly, his intent clear as I closed my eyes and savoured the sense of certainty which I felt in his tone. "As soon as I possibly can... but I'll make ya safe first." His voice was hard.

"I love you," I reminded him.

"Can ya believe, despite everythin' I put ya through, I love _you,_ too?" 

I smiled despite my grim situation. "Yes, I can, actually." I said quietly, sighing as I wiped the last of my tears from my cheeks.

"I'll come for ya soon."

My smile flickered, and I hesitated to grapple my voice under control long enough to whisper my answer. "I'll be waiting."

As soon as the phone went dead, the cloud of depression began to creep over me again.

I turned to give the phone back to Quinn and found her and Kele bent over the table, where Quinn was sketching on a piece of hotel stationery. I leaned on the back of the couch, looking over her shoulder.

She drew a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Quinn said was gold.

"It's a dance studio! Well... ballet, actually, I think." I said, suddenly recognizing the familiar shapes.

They looked at me, surprised.

"Do you know this room?" Kele's voice sounded calm, but there was an undercurrent of something I couldn't identify. Quinn bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner.

"It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons... when I was eight or nine. I was bad at sports, and Julia thought it'd helped me be more coordinated... little did she know, I was already a fabulous dancer; I was just born to be shit at sports." It was shaped just the same. I touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. "That's where the bathrooms were, the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here," I pointed to the left corner, "it was older... and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room; you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."

Quinn and Kele were staring at me.

"Are you _sure_ it's the same room?" Kele asked, still calm.

"No, not at all..." I said distractedly, turning my head to try and decipher if it might be the same room. "I suppose most dance studios would look the same... the mirrors, the bar." I traced my finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. "It's just, the shape that looked familiar." I touched the door, set in exactly the same place as the one I remembered.

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Quinn asked, breaking my reverie.

"No, I haven't been there in over ten years. I was a naturally awesome dancer; unlike Jordan. They always put him in the back for recitals," I snickered smugly, gleeful that I was better than Jordan at _something_ at least; despite my strange situation.

"So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Quinn asked intently.

"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere."

"Where was the studio you went to?" Kele asked in a casual voice.

"It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after... school..." I said, my voice trailing off. I didn't miss the look they exchanged.

"Here in Sunset Beach, then?" His voice was still casual.

"Yes," I whispered, realisation smothering my previously warming mood. "Five oh twelve, Olympus Boulevard."

We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing.

"Quinn, is that phone safe?" I asked quietly, my growing hysteria fading into a calming sense of resignation.

"Yes," she reassured me. "The number would just trace back to Washington."

"Then I can use it to call my mom."

"I thought she was in New York."

"She is... but she's coming home soon, and she can't come back to that house while-" My voice trembled. I was thinking about something Jake had said, about how the wild woman with the dreadlocks had been at Scott's house, at the school, where my records would be.

"How will you reach her?"

"They don't have a permanent number except at the house; she's supposed to check her messages regularly."

"Kele?" Quinn asked.

He thought about it. "I don't think there's any way it could hurt - be sure you don't say where you are, of course."

I reached eagerly for the phone and dialed the familiar number. It rang four times, and then I heard my mom's breezy voice telling me to leave a message.

"Mom," I said after the beep, "it's me. Listen, I need you to do something. It's important. As soon as you get this message, call me at this number." Quinn was already at my side, writing the number for me on the bottom of her picture. I read it carefully, twice. "Please; don't go anywhere until you talk to me. Tell Jordan to do the same. Please, both of you, don't worry, I'm okay, but I have to talk to you right away, no matter how late you get this call, all right? I love you, Mom. Bye." I closed my eyes and prayed with all my might that no unforeseen change of plans would bring her home before she got my message.

I settled into the sofa, nibbling on a plate of leftover fruit, anticipating a long evening. I thought about calling Scott, but I wasn't sure if I should be home by now or not. I concentrated on the news, watching out for stories about New York, or about spring training, strikes or hurricanes or terrorist attacks; anything that might send them home early.

Immortality must grant endless patience. Neither Kele nor Quinn seemed to feel the need to do anything at all. For a while, Quinn sketched the vague outline of the dark room from her vision, as much as she could see in the light from the TV. But when she was done, she simply sat, looking at the blank walls with her timeless eyes. Kele, too, seemed to have no urge to pace, or peek through the curtains, or run screaming out the door, the way I did.

I must have fallen asleep on the couch, waiting for the phone to ring again. The touch of Quinn's cold hands woke me briefly as she carried me to the bed, but I was unconscious again before my head hit the pillow.


	21. Message

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only four more to go after this, can you guys believe it? 
> 
> ... are you there? 'XD
> 
> Honestly though, thankyou so much to anyone who has read, or is reading this. It's been epic - but beautiful. If you wanna see another world remastered like this, why not make a request? 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the closing chapters... please let us know your thoughts 
> 
> x Our love to you all x

**Message**

I could feel it was too early again when I woke, and I knew I was getting the schedule of my days and nights slowly reversed.

I lay in my bed and listened to the quiet voices of Quinn and Kele in the other room. That they were loud enough for me to hear at all was strange. I rolled till my feet touched the floor and then staggered to the living room. The clock on the TV said it was just after two in the morning again. Quinn and Kele were sitting together on the sofa, Quinn sketching again while Kele looked over her shoulder. They didn't look up when I entered, too engrossed in Quinn's work.

I crept to Kele's side to peek. "Did she see something more?" I asked him quietly.

"Yes. Something's brought him back to the room with the VCR, but it's light now."

I watched as Quinn drew a square room with dark beams across its low ceiling. The walls were paneled in wood, a little too dark, out of date. The floor had a dark carpet with a pattern in it. There was a large window against the south wall, and an opening through the west wall led to the living room. One side of that entrance was stone; a large tan stone fireplace that was open to both rooms. The focus of the room from this perspective, the TV and VCR, balanced on a too-small wooden stand, were in the southwest corner of the room. An aged sectional sofa curved around in front of the TV, a round coffee table in front of it.

"The phone goes there," I whispered, pointing. Two pairs of eternal eyes stared at me. "That's my mother's house."

Quinn was already off the couch, phone in hand, dialing. I stared at the precise rendering of my mother's family room; where Jordan and I had rough housed endlessly and had fake camping nights; his small gesture to make up for not wanting to do the real thing with me. Uncharacteristically, Kele slid closer to me. He lightly touched his hand to my shoulder, and the physical contact seemed to make his calming influence stronger. The panic stayed dull, unfocused.

Quinn's lips were trembling with the speed of her words, the low buzzing impossible to decipher. Everything was a haze; I couldn't concentrate.

"Taylor," Quinn said. I looked at her numbly. "Taylor, Jake is coming to get you. He and Craig and Mike are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while."

"Jake is coming?" The words were like a life vest, holding my head above the flood.

"Yes, he's catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet him at the airport, and you'll leave with him."

"But, my mother... he came here for my family, Quinn! My mother, my brother!" Despite Kele's influence, the hysteria bubbled up in my voice.

"Kele and I will stay till they're safe."

"I can't win, Quinn. You can't guard everyone I know forever. Don't you see what he's doing? He's not tracking me at all. He'll find someone, he'll hurt someone I love... Quinn, I can't—" Despair ate at my heart, and I lowered my head into my hands, rolling my forehead against my palms as my fingers curled into my short red spikes and pulled viciously.

"We'll catch him, Taylor," she assured me.

"And what if _you_ get hurt, Quinn? Do you think that's okay with me?" I demanded quietly, looking up at her with a distraught frown. "Do you think it's only my _human_ family he can hurt me with?"

Quinn's gaze was tormented, and she looked meaningfully at Kele. A deep, heavy fog of lethargy washed over me, and my eyes closed without my permission. My mind struggled against the fog, realizing what was happening. I forced my eyes open and stood up, stepping away from Kele's hand as I fueled my fury with every ounce of resistance in me.

"I don't want to go back to sleep," I snapped.

I walked to my room and shut the door, slammed it really, so I could be free to go to pieces privately. This time Quinn didn't follow me. For three and a half hours I stared at the wall, curled in a ball, rocking. My mind went around in circles, trying to come up with some way out of this nightmare. There was no escape, no reprieve. I could see only one possible end looming darkly in my future. The only question was how many other people would be hurt before I reached it.

The only solace, the only hope I had left, was knowing that I would see Jake soon. Maybe, if I could just see his face again, I would also be able to see the solution that eluded me now.

When the phone rang, I returned to the front room, a little ashamed of my behavior. I hoped I hadn't offended either of them, that they would know how grateful I was for the sacrifices they were making on my account.

Quinn was talking as rapidly as ever, but what caught my attention was that, for the first time, Kele was not in the room. I looked at the clock; it was five-thirty in the morning.

"They're just boarding their plane," Quinn told me. "They'll land at nine-forty-five."

Just a few more hours to keep breathing till he was here.

"Where's Kele?"

"He went to check out."

"You aren't staying here?"

"No, we're relocating closer to your mother's house."

My stomach twisted uneasily at her words. But the phone rang again, distracting me. She looked surprised, but I was already walking forward, reaching hopefully for the phone.

"Hello?" Quinn asked. "No, he's right here." She held the phone out to me. Your brother, she mouthed.

"Hello?"

"Taylor! Broooo!" It was my brother's voice, in a familiar tone I had heard a thousand times in my childhood, anytime I'd stolen the last Oreo cookie or whenever I beat him at a round of Mario Kart. It was the sound of him pissed as hell.

I sighed. I'd been expecting this, though I'd tried to make my message as un-alarming as possible without lessening the urgency of it.

"Jeez, chill out, Jordan," I said in my most soothing voice, walking slowly away from Quinn. I wasn't sure if I could lie as convincingly with her eyes on me. "Everything is fine, okay? Just give me a minute and I'll explain everything, I promise."

I paused, surprised that he hadn't interrupted me yet.

"Jordan?"

"Be real careful not to say anything else, 'til I say so."

The voice I heard now was as unfamiliar as it was unexpected. It was a man's tenor voice, a very pleasant, generic voice; the kind of voice that you heard in the background of luxury car commercials. He spoke very quickly.

"Now, I really don't _need_ to hurt your brother here, but I think you're smart enough to know that I wouldn't mind one bit to do so." He paused for a minute while I listened in mute horror. "Well done," he congratulated. "Now say these words, nice and natural. Say, 'No, Jordan, stay where you are.'"

"No, Jordan... stay where you are." My voice was barely more than a whisper, and certainly anything but natural when paired with my vacant stare across the room.

"Well, that's a mighty shame. This is obviously gonna be a challenge for you." The voice was amused, still light and friendly. "Why don't you head into another room, so your pretty little face doesn't spoil anything? Your brother here doesn't need to get hurt. Well, not more than he already is, I guess..." I carefully clenched and unclenched the phone I held, trying to pass it off as a nervous twitch. Damn it, how much had he hurt Jordan already? "As you're walking, you should say, 'Jordan, please listen to me.' And... add a little something, if you think it'd be more convincing. Do it now."

"Jordan, please listen to me, don't... don't give Michael a hard time." my voice pleaded.

Don't touch my brother, I wanted to say. But for now, I complied. I walked very slowly to the bedroom, feeling Quinn's worried stare on my back. I shut the door behind me, trying to think clearly through the terror that gripped my brain.

"There now, are you alone? Just answer yes or no."

"Yes."

"But they can still hear you, I'm sure."

"Yes."

"All right, then," the agreeable voice continued, "say, 'Jordan, trust me.'"

"Jordan, trust me."

"This worked out rather better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your family arrived ahead of schedule. It's easier this way, ain't it? Less suspense, less anxiety for you."

I waited.

"Now I want you to listen very carefully. I'm going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can manage that? Answer yes or no."

"No."

"Ain't that a shame. I was hoping you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your brother's life depended on it? Answer yes or no."

Somehow, there had to be a way. I remembered that we were going to the airport. Sky Harbor International Airport: crowded, confusingly laid out. While I was figuring out a way to save my brother without having to take any risks, I heard Jordan cry out at the other end, some outrage, offended defiance that was so him. My own outcry caught in my throat as he continued, my hand clapping over my mouth to catch any sound which would escape me.

"What's it gonna be?" 

"Yes."

"That's better." Jordan's cry came to an abrupt stop, and I don't know how to feel about that. Not good, that's for sure. "I'm sure it won't be easy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have any company, well, that would be very bad for your dear, sweet, brother," the friendly voice promised. "You must know enough about us by now to realize how quickly I would know if you tried to bring anyone along with you. And how little time I would need to deal with your brother if that was the case. Do you understand? Answer yes or no."

"Yes." My voice broke.

"Very good, Taylor. Now this is what you have to do. I want you to go to your mother's house. Next to the phone there will be a number. Call it, and I'll tell you where to go from there." I already knew where I would go, and where this would end. But I would follow his instructions exactly. "Can you do that? Answer yes or no."

"Yes."

"Before noon, Taylor. I haven't got all day," he said politely.

"Where's my mom? Jim?" I asked tersely.

"Ah, careful now. Wait until I ask you to speak."

I waited.

"It's important, now, that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them. Tell them that your brother called, and that you talked him out of coming home for the time being. Now repeat after me, 'Thanks, Jordan.' Say it now."

"Thanks, Jordan." The tears were coming. I tried to fight them back.

"Say, 'I love you, bro, I'll see you soon.' Say it now."

"I love you, bro." My voice was thick, my heart wrenching at the thought that I may never be able to say that in person again. "I'll see you soon," I promised.

"Goodbye, Taylor. I look forward to seeing you again." He hung up.

I held the phone to my ear. My joints were frozen with terror; I couldn't unbend my fingers to drop it. I knew I had to think, but my head was filled with the sound of my brother's panic. Seconds ticked by while I fought for control.

Slowly, slowly, my thoughts started to break past that brick wall of pain; to plan.

For I had no choices now but one: to go to the mirrored room; and die.

I had no guarantees, nothing to give to keep Jordan alive. I could only hope that Rex would be satisfied with winning the game, that beating Jake would be enough. Despair gripped me; there was no way to bargain, nothing I could offer or withhold that could influence him. But I still had no choice. I had to try. I couldn't let my brother die because of me.

I pushed the terror back as well as I could. My decision was made. It did no good to waste time agonizing over the outcome. I had to think clearly, because Quinn and Kele were waiting for me, and evading them was absolutely essential, and absolutely impossible.

I was suddenly grateful that Kele was gone. If he had been here to feel my anguish in the last five minutes, how could I have kept them from being suspicious? I choked back the dread, the anxiety, tried to stifle it; to smother it beneath a thick blanket of resignation and acceptance, reminding myself that this way at least, nobody else would be hurt. I couldn't afford to break down now. I didn't know when Kele would return.

I concentrated on my escape. I had to hope that my familiarity with the airport would turn the odds in my favor. Somehow, I had to keep Quinn away. I knew Quinn was in the other room waiting for me, curious and worried. But I had to deal with one more thing in private, before Kele was back.

I had to accept that I wouldn't see Jake again, not even one last glimpse of his shaggy hair or his scruffy stubble, not a glimpse of his angelic face to carry with me to the mirror room. I was going to hurt him... and I had no way to apologise for that. I couldn't even say goodbye. I let the waves of torture wash over me, have their way for a time. Then I pushed them back, too, and went to face Quinn.

The only expression I could manage was a dull, dead look. I saw her alarm and I didn't wait for her to ask. I had just one script and I'd never manage improvisation now.

"Mom was worried, had Jordan called me. They wanted to come home. But it's okay, I convinced them to stay away." My voice was lifeless.

"We'll make sure their fine, Taylor, don't worry."

I turned away; I couldn't let her see my face. My eye fell on a blank page of the hotel stationery on the desk. I went to it slowly, a plan forming. There was an envelope there, too.

That was good.

"Quinn," I asked slowly, without turning, keeping my voice level. "If I write a letter for them, would you deliver? Leave it at the house, I mean."

"Sure, Taylor." Her voice was careful.

She could see me coming apart at the seams. I had to keep my emotions under better control. I went into the bedroom again, and knelt next to the little bedside table to write.

"Jake," I wrote. My hand was shaking, the letters were hardly legible.

_I love you. _

_I am so sorry. My family came home early... and he has Jordan. I have to try. He's my brother. I can't not try. I know it may not work, it probably won't. _

_I am so very, _ _very sorry. I wish a lot of things. That I didn't cause you so much trouble, so much pain... I wish I didn't smell so good to you, because then maybe you would never have taken notice of me at all, and I wouldn't have to do this... knowing there was no way for me apologise properly, no way that I can take away the pain I know this will inflict on you. _

_You mustn't feel guilty though, because of all the things I wish... my very greatest wish, is only that I had more time with you. Contradictory, I know... maybe it's the hysteria setting in, I don't know. But regardless, I wanted you to know; eternity with you, wouldn't have been long enough. The way you've made me feel, when you're weren't being an irritating asshole... I wouldn't trade anything for those precious moments. I do this; with those memories held close to my heart. And whatever happens, yours will be the last face I see, the last name I say... the only love, I've ever, or will ever experience; was the greatest of all, because it was all you._

_Don't be angry with Quinn and Kele. If I get away from them it will be a miracle. Tell them thank _ _you for me. Quinn especially, please._

_And please Jake please, don't come after him. That's what he wants, I think. I can't bear it if anyone _ _has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the only thing I can ask you now. For _ _me; I beg of you, let this be the end._

_I love you._

_Please forgive me._

_Taylor_

I folded the letter carefully, and sealed it in the envelope. Eventually he would find it. I only hoped he would understand, and listen to me just this once. And then I carefully sealed away my heart.


	22. Hide and Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was difficult making Rex his own character instead of a James's alternate. Minimal changes were done, obviously.
> 
> But it was a trick without his trademark menacing and vengeful history with Jake.
> 
> I thought it'd be best if Jordan was the one 'taken' instead of Julia on the account that he's mentioned for in Taylor's internalization than his mom.
> 
> (ﾉ≧ڡ≦) Hope you like the change 
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
✲ﾟ｡.(✿╹◡╹)ﾉ♡.｡₀:*ﾟ✲ﾟ

**Hide and Seek**

It had taken much less time than I'd thought. All the terror, the despair, the shattering of my heart. The minutes were ticking by more slowly than usual. Kele still hadn't come back when I returned to Quinn. I was afraid to be in the same room with her, afraid that she would guess... and afraid to hide from her for the same reason. I would have thought I was far beyond the ability to be surprised, my thoughts tortured and unstable, but I was surprised when I saw Quinn bent over the desk, gripping the edge with two hands; her hair a thick and impenetrable wall around her. 

"Quinn?"

She didn't react when I called her name, but her head was slowly rocking side to side, and I saw her face. Her eyes were blank, dazed... My thoughts flew to my brother. Was I already too late?

I hurried to her side, reaching out automatically to touch her hand.

"Quinn!" Kele's voice cracked like a whip, and then he was right behind her, his hands curling over hers, loosening them from their grip on the table. Across the room, the door swung shut with a low click.

"What is it?" he demanded.

She turned her face away from me, into his chest. "Taylor," she said.

"I'm right here," I replied.

Her head twisted around, her eyes locking on mine, their expression still strangely blank. I realized at once that she hadn't been speaking to me, she'd been answering Kele's question.

"What did you see." I said, and there was no question in my flat, uncaring voice.

Kele looked at me sharply. I kept my expression vacant and waited. His eyes were confused as they flickered swiftly between Quinn's face and mine, feeling the chaos; for I could guess what Quinn had seen now.

I felt a tranquil atmosphere settle around me. I welcomed it, using it to keep my emotions disciplined, under control.

Quinn, too, recovered herself.

"Nothing, really," she answered finally, her voice remarkably calm and convincing. "Just the same room as before." She finally looked at me, her expression smooth and withdrawn. "Did you want breakfast?"

"No, I'll eat at the airport." I was very calm, too.

I went to the bathroom to shower. Almost as if I were borrowing Kele's strange extra sense, I could feel Quinn's wild; though well-concealed, desperation to have me out of the room, to be alone with Kele. So she could tell him that they were doing something wrong.

That they were going to fail.

I got ready methodically, concentrating on each little task. I stared at my hair for a long time, before slowly spiking each section individually. A man needed to look his best; walking, or running, to his death. The peaceful mood Jasper created worked its way through me and helped me think clearly. Helped me plan. I dug through my bag until I found my sock full of money. I emptied it into my pocket.

I was anxious to get to the airport, and glad when we left by seven. I sat alone this time in the back of the dark car. Quinn leaned against the door, her face toward Kele but, behind her sunglasses, shooting glances in my direction every few seconds.

"Quinn?" I asked indifferently.

She was wary. "Yes?"

"How does it work? The things that you see?" I stared out the side window, and my voice sounded bored. "Jake said it wasn't definite... that things change?"

It was harder than I would have thought to say his name. That must have been what alerted Kele, why a fresh wave of serenity filled the car.

"Yes, things change..." she murmured; hopefully, I thought. "Some things are more certain than others... like the weather. People are harder. I only see the course they're on while they're on it. Once they change their minds; make a new decision, no matter how small, the whole future shifts."

I nodded thoughtfully. "So you couldn't see Rex in Sunset beach until he decided to come here."

"Yes," she agreed, wary again.

And Quinn hadn't seen me in the mirror room with Rex until I'd made the decision to meet him there. I tried not to think about what else she might have seen. I didn't want my panic to make Kele more suspicious. They would be watching me twice as carefully now, anyway, after Quinn's vision. This was going to be impossible.

We got to the airport. Luck was with me, or maybe it was just good odds. Jake's plane was landing in terminal four, the largest terminal, where most flights landed; so it wasn't surprising that his was. But it was the terminal I needed... the biggest, the most confusing. And there was a door on level three that might be the only chance.

We parked on the fourth floor of the huge garage. I led the way, for once more knowledgeable about my surroundings than they were. We took the elevator down to level three, where the passengers unloaded.

Quinn and Kele spent a long time looking at the departing flights board. I could hear them discussing the pros and cons of New York, Atlanta, Chicago. Places I'd never seen. And would never see.

I waited for my opportunity, impatient, unable to stop my toe from tapping. We sat in the long rows of chairs by the metal detectors, Kele and Quinn pretending to people-watch but really watching me. Every inch I shifted in my seat was followed by a quick glance out of the corner of their eyes. It was hopeless.

Should I run? Would they dare to stop me physically in this public place? Or would they simply follow?

I pulled the unmarked envelope out of my pocket and set it on top of Quinn's black leather bag. She looked at me.

"My letter," I said.

She nodded, tucking it under the top flap. He would find it soon enough.

The minutes passed and Jake's arrival grew closer. It was amazing how every cell in my body seemed to know he was coming, to long for his coming. That made it very hard. I found myself trying to think of excuses to stay, to see him first and then make my escape. But I knew that was impossible if I was going to have any chance to get away.

Several times Quinn offered to go get breakfast with me. Later, I told her, not yet. I stared at the arrival board, watching as flight after flight arrived on time. The flight from Seattle crept closer to the top of the board.

And then, when I had only thirty minutes to make my escape, the numbers changed. His plane was ten minutes early. I had no more time.

"I think I'll eat now," I said quietly.

Quinn stood. "I'll come with you."

"Do you mind if Kele comes instead?" I asked. "I'm feeling a little..." I didn't finish the sentence. My eyes were wild enough to convey what I didn't say.

Kele stood up. Quinn's eyes were confused, but; I saw to my relief, not suspicious. She must be attributing the change in her vision to some maneuver of the tracker's rather than a betrayal by me. Kele walked silently beside me, his hand on the small of my back, as if he were guiding me. I pretended a lack of interest in the first few airport cafes, my head scanning for what I really wanted. And there it was, around the corner, out of Quinn's sharp sight: the level-three mens' room.

"Do you mind?" I asked Kele as we passed. "I'll just be a moment." I added, not needing to feign my blush as I peeked at him. "Unless... you wanna—" I said awkwardly, gesturing to the bathroom uncertainly.

"I'll be right here," he said, eyeing the restroom briefly, before smiling at me kindly. I felt terrible for deceiving him. "I think you can have this one privacy." He added, before his expression hardened with a frown. "But if you're not out in three minutes I'll come in."

I nodded, and didn't wait for him to reconsider. As soon as the door shut behind me, I was running. I remembered the time I had gotten lost from this bathroom, because it had two exits.

Outside the far door it was only a short sprint to the elevators, and if Kele stayed where he said he would, I'd never be in his line of sight. I didn't look behind me as I ran. This was my only chance, and even if he saw me, I had to keep going. People stared, but I ignored them. Around the corner the elevators were waiting, and I dashed forward, throwing my hand between the closing doors of a full elevator headed down. I squeezed in beside the irritated passengers, and checked to make sure that the button for level one had been pushed. It was already lit, and the doors closed.

As soon as the door opened I was off again, to the sound of annoyed murmurs behind me. I slowed myself as I passed the security guards by the luggage carousels, only to break into a run again as the exit doors came into view. I had no way of knowing if my three minutes were up, if Kele was looking for me yet.

I guessed not, because I would have only seconds if he was following my scent. I jumped out the automatic doors, nearly smacking into the glass when they opened too slowly.

Along the crowded curb there wasn't a cab in sight.

I had no time. Quinn and Kele were either about to realize I was gone, or they already had and were on their way. They would find me in a heartbeat.

A shuttle to the Hyatt was just closing its doors a few feet behind me.

"Wait!" I called, running, waving at the driver.

"This is the shuttle to the Hyatt," the driver said in confusion as he opened the doors.

"Yes," I huffed, "that's where I'm going." I hurried up the steps.

He looked askance at my luggage-less state, but then shrugged, not caring enough to ask. Most of the seats were empty. I sat as far from the other travelers as possible, and watched out the window as first the sidewalk, and then the airport, drifted away. I couldn't help imagining Jake, where he would stand at the edge of the road when he found the end of my trail. I couldn't cry yet, I told myself.

I still had a long way to go.

My luck held. In front of the Hyatt, a tired-looking couple was getting their last suitcase out of the trunk of a cab. I jumped out of the shuttle and ran to the cab, sliding into the seat behind the driver. The tired couple and the shuttle driver stared at me.

I told the surprised cabbie my mother's address. "I need to get there as soon as possible."

"That's on the Boulevard," he complained.

I threw four twenties over the seat.

"Will that be enough?"

"Sure, man, no problem."

I sat back against the seat, folding my arms across my lap. The familiar city began to rush around me, but I didn't look out the windows. I exerted myself to maintain control. I was determined not to lose myself at this point, now that my plan was successfully completed. There was no point in indulging in more terror, more anxiety. My path was set. I just had to follow it now.

So, instead of panicking, I closed my eyes and spent the twenty minutes' drive with Jake. I imagined that I had stayed at the airport to meet Jake. I visualized how I would stand on my toes, the sooner to see his face. How quickly, how gracefully he would move through the crowds of people separating us. And then I would run to close those last few feet between us; reckless as always, and I would be in his marble arms, finally safe.

I wondered where we would have gone.

North somewhere, so he could be outside in the day. Or maybe somewhere very remote, so we could lay in the sun together again. I imagined him by the shore, his skin sparkling like the sea. It wouldn't matter how long we had to hide. To be trapped in a hotel room with him would be a kind of heaven. So many questions I still had for him. I could talk to him forever, never sleeping, never leaving his side.

I could see his face so clearly now... almost hear his voice. And, despite all the horror and hopelessness, I was fleetingly happy. So involved was I in my escapist daydreams, I lost all track of the seconds racing by.

"Hey, what was the number?"

The cabbie's question punctured my fantasy, letting all the colors run out of my lovely delusions. Fear, bleak and hard, was waiting to fill the empty space they left behind.

"Fifty-eight twenty-one." My voice sounded strangled. The cabbie looked at me, nervous that I was having an episode or something.

"Here we are, then." He was anxious to get me out of his car, probably hoping I wouldn't ask for my change.

"Thank you," I whispered.

There was no need to be afraid, I reminded myself. The house was empty. I had to hurry; Jordan was waiting for me, frightened, pissed off; depending on me. I ran to the door, reaching up automatically to grab the key under the eave. I unlocked the door. It was dark inside, empty, normal. I ran to the phone, turning on the kitchen light on my way. There, on the whiteboard, was a ten-digit number written in a small, neat hand. My fingers stumbled over the keypad, making mistakes. I had to hang up and start again. I concentrated only on the buttons this time, carefully pressing each one in turn. I was successful. I held the phone to my ear with a shaking hand. It rang only once.

"Hello, Taylor," that easy voice answered. "You made it in time. I'm impressed."

"Is Jordan all right, you asshole?"

"Temper, temper... and feisty, I like that." He drawled, "He's perfectly fine. Don't worry, Taylor, I have no quarrel with him. Unless you tried to be sneaky, and didn't come alone, of course." Light, amused.

"I'm alone." I'd never been more alone in my entire life.

"Very good. Now, do you know the ballet studio just around the corner from your home?"

"Yes. I know how to get there."

"Well, then, I'll see you very soon."

I hung up.

I ran from the room, through the door, out into the baking heat.

There was no time to look back at my house, and I didn't want to see it as it was now; empty, a symbol of fear instead of sanctuary. The last person to walk through those familiar rooms was my enemy.

From the corner of my eye, I could almost see my mother standing in the shade of the big eucalyptus tree where Jordan and I had played as kids. Or kneeling by the little plot of dirt around the mailbox, the cemetery of all the flowers she'd tried to grow. The memories were better than any reality I would see today. But I raced away from them, toward the corner, leaving everything behind me.

I felt so slow, like I was running through wet sand; I couldn't seem to get enough purchase from the concrete. I tripped several times in my haste, my clumsiness returning full swing with the loss of Jake's warmth from my life. I fell twice, catching myself with my hands, scraping them on the sidewalk, and then lurching up to plunge forward again. But at last I made it to the corner. Just another street now; I ran, sweat pouring down my face, gasping. The sun was hot on my skin, too bright as it bounced off the white concrete and blinded me. I felt dangerously exposed. More fiercely than I would have dreamed I was capable of, I wished for the green, protective forests of Cedar Cove... of home.

When I rounded the last corner, onto the Boulevard, I could see the studio, looking just as I remembered it. The parking lot in front was empty, the vertical blinds in all the windows drawn. I couldn't run anymore. I couldn't breathe; exertion, fear and grief had gotten the best of me. I thought of my brother to keep my feet moving, one in front of the other.

As I got closer, I could see the sign inside the door. It was handwritten on hot pink paper; it said the dance studio was closed for spring break. I touched the handle, tugged on it cautiously.

It was unlocked.

I fought to catch my breath, and opened the door. 

The lobby was dark and empty, cool, the air conditioner thrumming. The plastic molded chairs were stacked along the walls, and the carpet smelled like shampoo. The west dance floor was dark, I could see through the open viewing window. The east dance floor, the bigger room, was lit. But the blinds were closed on the window.

Terror seized me so strongly that I was literally trapped by it. I couldn't make my feet move forward.

And then my brother's voice called.

"Taylor? Brooo!" That same tone of as I've heard at the call.

I sprinted to the door, to the sound of his voice.

"Taylor, you little shit!" His voice continued as I ran into the long, high-ceilinged room "You cheated! That was my win!" 

I slowed, puzzling over his words. I stared around me, trying to find where his voice was coming from. I heard a laughter, Michael's, and I whirled to the sound. There he was, on the TV screen, shoving screen me off a bean bag. It was Thanksgiving, and we were playing Mario Kart as Michael video taped us, while mom and Jim were doing the dishes. Since I had cooked to avoid either poisoning or inedible gloop, mom offered to do the cleaning.

This was before I broke the news that I would be moving back in with Scott. I told Jordan first when we went at the beach later, so that I wouldn't have to deal with both their begging at the same time. Luckily, Michael was there for him, just as Jim had been there when I broke it to mom later. It was a bit easier to appease them that way; separated. Though, Jordan still did a little pleading.

But I found myself relieved that he didn't have to plead now.

"Damn it, bro, you are so dead now." 

Video Jordan was pissed, about to launch at me, as he scowled at me, or at Michael's video cam to be more technical as I hid behind his boyfriend for a human shield. He growled the same cry I heard over the phone. I had a feeling, if he knew where I was now, he'd give me the same expression.

And then the TV screen was blue. I turned slowly and realized that Jordan had never said anything more accurate in his life. Rex was standing very still by the back exit, so still I hadn't noticed him at first. In his hand was a remote control. We stared at each other for a long moment, and then he smiled.

He walked toward me, quite close, and then passed me to put the remote down next to the VCR. I turned carefully to watch him.

"I'd say I'm sorry; but we both know it wouldn't be true. Besides, isn't it better that your brother didn't have to be dragged into all this?"

His voice was courteous, kind.

And suddenly it hit me. My brother was safe. He was still with mom, and Jim, and Michael, all the people he loved. He'd never gotten my message to mom, and maybe she hadn't gotten it either.

He'd never have to be pissed at the mess I got him in, he'd never be terrified by the dark red eyes in the contradictory dark and abnormally pale face before me.

Jordan was safe.

"Yes," I laughed, my voice saturated with relief.

"You don't sound upset I set you up."

"I'm not." My sudden high made me brave. What did it matter now? It would soon be over. Jordan was out of harm's way. He, Scott, Julia or Jim would never be harmed, would never have to fear. I felt giddy. Some analytical part of my mind warned me that I was dangerously close to snapping from the stress.

Jordan would get to live the life with Michael that I wish I could have lived myself... with Jake. It was bittersweet, but I would have to take comfort that I hadn't brought my brother down with me.

"You're an odd one, you are." I clenched my fist, hating my name fall from his lips with fury. "You really mean it, don't you. Interesting." His dark eyes assessed me with interest. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. Thirsty. "I will give that weird coven this much, you humans can be quite entertaining. I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It's amazing; some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all."

Rex was standing a few feet away from me, buffed-muscled arms folded, looking at me curiously. There was no menace in his face or stance, just the dark skin with the unusual pale tint, the circled eyes I'd grown so used to. He wore a dark camouflage vest and faded denim shorts.

"I reckon you want to tell me now that your little boyfriend's gonna swear vengeance?" he asked, hopefully it seemed to me.

"No." I replied flippantly, shrugging my shoulder as I looked around the hall dismissively. This place that would be where I died. "At least, I asked him not to."

"And what's his take on that little request?"

"I don't know." It was strangely easy to converse with this genteel hunter. "I left him a letter."

"How romantic, a last letter. And do you think he would grant it?" His voice was just a little harder now, a hint of sarcasm marring his polite tone.

"I think so." I lied easily, smiling as I wandered a few steps around the large mirrored wall, my fingers trailing along the gold bar.

"Hmmm. Well, we don't think much alike then. You see, this was all just a little too easy... too quick. If I'm honest, it's a let down. I expected a much greater challenge. And, after all, I only needed a little luck."

I waited in silence.

"When Jeanine couldn't get to your dad, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet tracking you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Jeanine, I decided to come to Sunset Beach; to pay your momma a visit. I'd heard you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn't it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when you're hiding; the place that you said you'd be." He explained smugly, as I strolled along the mirror, my inner self rattled by his ease at figuring out my ploy. 

"But of course I wasn't sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey that I'm hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. I listened to your message when I got to your mother's house, but of course I couldn't be sure where you'd called from. It was very useful to have your number, but you could have been in Antarctica for all I knew, and the game wouldn't work unless you were close by." He said, wagging his finger at me as he circled around to face me.

"Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Sunset beach. Jeanine was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldn't be working alone. And so they told me what I'd hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; I'd already been through your charming home movies. And then it was simply a matter of the bluff." He said, spreading his palms in satisfaction.

"Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I'm hoping you're wrong about your boyfriend. Jake, wasn't it?"

I didn't answer. The bravado was holding strong, my face a perfect mask of indifference in the face if my impending death. I sensed that he was coming to the end of his gloat. Though, it wasn't meant for me anyway. There was no glory in beating me, a weak human.

"Would you mind, very much, if I left a little letter of my own for your... _Jake?"_

Rex took a step back and touched a palm-sized digital video camera balanced carefully on top of the stereo. One of Michael's, which he kept at our house to sneakily record the dumb shit Jordan usually did. A small red light indicated that it was already running. He adjusted it a few times, widened the frame. I stared at him in horror; though I carefully schooled my features into a blank slate.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think he'll be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a human, who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add." He stepped toward me, smiling. "Before we begin..."

I felt a curl of nausea in the pit of my stomach as he spoke. This was something I had not anticipated.

"I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Jake would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me..." he said, his voice almost a whisper as he gloated.

"You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of this little victim made the choice that your Jake was too _weak_ to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked; I never will understand the obsession some vampires seem to form with you humans, and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didn't even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then." He sighed. "I destroyed the old one in vengeance."

"Quinn," I breathed, astonished. My careful mask slipping briefly as I blinked in surprise; understanding rushing through me like a sudden stream.

"Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her coven ought to be able to derive some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually." He laughed, but the sound wasn't joyful; it was angry, callous and thick with the implication of impending pain.

I knew then; he wouldn't kill me quickly. Before I knew Jake, this would have terrified me, but now I swore to make it through without showing weakness. This animal didn't deserve his prize.

"And she did smell so delicious." Rex continued to complain, ignorant of my solidifying resolve. "I still regret that I never got to taste... She smelled even better than you do. Sorry; I don't mean to be offensive or anything. You have a very nice smell. Floral, but fruity, at the same time. Remarkable, really..."

Rex took another step toward me, till he was just inches away. He leaned in close to my throat and sniffed at it delicately. Then he gently patted the area, and I felt my skin crawl beneath his touch. He reached up to stroke my cheek once quickly with his thumb, his face curious. I turned my face away viciously, scowling as I deliberately reached up and wiped his touch away with my sleeve. He laughed at my small, pitiful defiance.

"No," he murmured to himself as he dropped his hand, "I don't understand." He sighed. "Well, I suppose we should get on with it. And then I can call your friends and tell them where to find you, and my little message."

I was definitely sick now. The pain was coming, I could see it in his eyes. It wouldn't be enough for him to win, to feed and go. I concentrated on locking down my emotions, forcing everything into a deep, dark cave in the back of my mind and locking it securely. I would not break for this monster.

He stepped back, and began to circle, casually, as if he were trying to get a better view of a statue in a museum. His face was still open and friendly as he decided where to start. Then he slumped forward, into a crouch I recognized, and his pleasant smile slowly widened, grew, till it wasn't a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening.

I refused to run. "Give it your best shot, asshole." I scoffed, tensing as I recalled the basic self defense I knew. I couldn't touch him; and I doubted it would do me much good... but perhaps if I surprised him enough by evading, he'd get pissed off, and kill me quickly after all.

He was in front of me in a flash. I didn't see if he'd raised his hand or his foot, it was too fast. I gasped as I darted to my left and narrowly avoided his blow, stumbling around and regaining my feet quickly as I tried to keep from turning my back on him. Rex laughed gleefully. "Really, little mouse?" He taunted spitefully, shaking his head in disbelief as he prowled closer. "You really think you can escape?"

"Escape? No." I bit out, watching him intently, though I knew he wouldn't give any sign of his next move. "Fend you off? Definitely not." I added, backing away from him, before panicking when my back connected with the mirrored wall; the golden balance bar pressing insistently into my back, forcing me to bend awkwardly. "But piss you off?" I laughed, the sound breathless but determined as I grimaced at him. "I sure as hell hope so."

He was moving again, coming at me with just enough speed to show off his superhuman abilities, but slow enough that I was able to slip aside out of the way of his blow again. I realised I had misjudged him. Clearly, he liked to play with his food. He laughed again as I backed away slowly, scowling at him as he turned and stalked me once more, his eyes gleaming as he surveyed me. 

It quickly became clear that I had two choices before me. Keep evading, letting him toy with me that much longer and risk the very possible chance that Jake would come to find me... or end his new game prematurely. Rex grinned darkly as he circled me, watching me as I turned to keep him in my sight. He faked a jab to my left, and I recoiled as he expected me to, drawing another laugh from him as I narrowed my eyes at him hatefully. He turned, disappearing entirely for a half a second; before reappearing right in front of me.

I glared at him and locked myself rigid, bracing myself as much as I was able, his eyes flashing with surprise as I remained still and smirked at him. A crushing blow connected suddenly with my chest; I felt myself flying backward, and then heard the crunch as my head bashed into the mirrors. The glass buckled, some of the pieces shattering and splintering on the floor beside me.

I was too stunned to feel the pain. I couldn't breathe yet. He walked toward me slowly. "You really are full of surprises, aren't you?" Rex mused thoughtfully, surprised by my behaviour once again. He circled me slowly as I rolled onto my side, and tried desperately to catch my breath. "That's a very nice effect," he said when I didn't reply, examining the mess of glass, his voice smug again. "I thought this room would be visually dramatic for my little film. That's why I picked this place to meet you. It's perfect, isn't it?"

I ignored him, clawing my way onto my hands and knees, forcing my legs to hold my weight as I gingerly stood up straight.

He was right in front of me at once, a twisted grin on his face as I scowled at him and tried to brace myself again. He kicked me in the stomach, sending me crashing into another mirror on the far side of the room. Glass rained down on me as I lay, dazed and winded once more. Despite this, I rolled to my side, about to claw my way back to my hands and knees at least; when I was stopped abruptly, by his foot stepping down hard on my leg. I heard the sickening snap before I felt it. But then I did feel it, and I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood so I could hold back my scream of agony. I twisted around to look back at my leg, and he was standing over me, smiling.

"You're a lot tougher than you look, aren't you?" Rex asked with obvious amusement, laughing as I panted for breath and tried to compartmentalise my pain somewhere in the back of my mind; refusing to give him the satisfaction he sought. "You'd make a lovely trophy, you would. It's almost a shame to have to kill you, fine thing as you are." He crouched down at my side, the camera trained on my face, most likely. I groaned as he continued to stomp down on my leg. Then, he ran a finger across my torso, from my chest to my abdomen. "... A terrible waste. But then, I'd never get my showdown with dear Jake. As they say, nothing lost, nothing gain..."

"I... know people like... you." I wheezed through tightly grit teeth. I glared up at him as he raised his eyebrows, seeming surprised I was still able to form a coherent sentence. "Bullies... Perverts... Lowlifes... you're all the same..." I spat at his feet, his amusement darkening into something else briefly, before he forced his expression into his mocking smile once more. "I'll... never... fear you... asshole." I scoffed, growling at the pain which tried to leak out of the dark corner I'd trapped it in my mind. "You... go to... hell!"

Rex stared at me for a full five seconds, before he began to laugh. He stood up right once more, shifting his foot on my leg and grinding down on my broken bone; it was agony, but I just bit my lip harder, refusing to give him the scream he so desperately desired. "Would you like to rethink your last request?" he asked pleasantly.

His foot left my leg and I immediately tried to crawl forward, dragging my useless limb behind me as I scowled and broke three fingernails on the floorboards for my efforts.

"Wouldn't you rather have Jake try to find me?" He prompted, walking beside me before suddenly nudging my leg again, hoping to take me by surprise.

I growled through the pain, rolling over and glaring up at him hatefully. "No!" I croaked. "No, Jake... don't you _dare,_ Top Gu—" And then something smashed into my face, picking me up off the floor and throwing me back into the broken mirrors.

Over the pain of my leg, I felt the sharp rip across my scalp where the glass cut into it. And then the warm wetness began to spread over my short hair with alarming speed. I could feel it soaking the shoulder of my shirt, hear it dripping on the wood below. The smell of it twisted my stomach.

Through the nausea and dizziness I saw something that gave me a sudden, final shred of hope. His eyes, merely intent before, now burned with an uncontrollable need. The blood; spreading like a dark stain across my shirt, a crimson pool forming rapidly on the floor around me, was driving him mad with thirst. No matter his original intentions, he couldn't draw this out much longer.

_Let it be over now, Jake._ It was all I could hope as the flow of blood from my head sucked my consciousness away with it. My eyes were closing. _I'm so sorry... I love you._

I heard, as if from underwater, the final growl of the hunter. I could see, through the long tunnels my eyes had become, his dark shape lurching toward me. With my last effort, I smiled and thought of Jake.

My eyes closed, and I drifted.


	23. Warrior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close!
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**Warrior**

As I drifted, I dreamed.

Where I floated, under the dark water, I heard the happiest sound my mind could conjure up; as beautiful, as uplifting, as it was ghastly. It was another snarl; a deeper, wilder roar that rang with fury. I was brought back, almost to the surface, by a sharp pain slashing my limp hand, but I couldn't find my way back far enough to open my eyes.

And then I knew I was dead.

Because, through the heavy water, I heard the sound of an angel calling my name, like warrior, fighting off demons and leading me to the only heaven I wanted. 

"Taylor! No, godammit! Aw, shit no!" the warrior's voice cried in horror.

Behind that longed-for sound was another noise; an awful tumult that my mind shied away from. A vicious bass growling, a shocking snapping sound, and a high keening, suddenly breaking off as another voice growled ferociously.

"I hope ya burn slow, ya bastard!" Vicious words, spat hatefully in the darkness.

I tried to concentrate on the warrior's angelic, musical voice instead.

"Taylor! C'mon, please! Taylor, ya gotta listen to me, please, open ya eyes, Taylor, _please_!" he begged.

Yes, I wanted to say. Anything. But I couldn't find my lips.

_"Mike!"_ the warrior called, agony in his perfect voice. "Taylor, Taylor, no, oh fuck... c'mon babe, please, no, no!" And the warrior was choking on tearless, broken sobs.

My warrior shouldn't weep or say please, it was wrong. I tried to find him, to tell him everything was fine, but the water was so deep, it was pressing on me, and I couldn't breathe. There was a point of pressure against my head. It hurt. Then, as that pain broke through the darkness to me, other pains came, stronger pains.

I cried out, gasping, breaking through the dark pool.

"Taylor!" the warrior cried, relief and fear combining in his desperate cry.

"Mmm... you..." I whined distractedly, trying to weakly bat away the point of pressure on my head, before my weak limb was restrained by something cool and solid. "... _never..._ say please..."

The warrior barked a rough sound; not quite a laugh, too distressed for that, but it was close. I took that as a small victory.

"He's lost a lotta blood, but the head wound ain't deep... if he's crackin' jokes, he probably ain't got any brain damage either," a calm voice informed me. "Watch out for his leg, 's broken."

A howl of rage strangled on the warrior's lips.

I felt a sharp stab in my side. This couldn't be heaven, could it? There was too much pain for that.

"Coupla ribs, too, I think," the methodical voice continued.

But the sharp pains were fading. There was a new pain, a scalding pain in my hand that was overshadowing everything else.

Someone was burning me.

"Jake." I tried to tell him, but my voice was so heavy and slow. I couldn't understand myself.

"Boy Scout, ya gonna be fine. Can you hear me, Taylor? I love ya, okay? So, 's all gonna be fine."

"Jake," I tried again. My voice was a little clearer.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm here."

"It hurts," I whimpered.

"I know, Boy Scout, I know," and then, away from me, anguished, "can't ya do anythin'?"

"My bag, please... Hold ya breath, Quinn, it'll help," Mike promised.

"Quinn?" I groaned.

"She's here, she knew where to find ya stupid ass."

"My hand hurts," I tried to tell them.

"I know, Taylor. Mike'll give ya somethin', it'll stop soon."

"My hand is burning, Jake..." I whined, finally breaking through the last of the darkness, my eyes fluttering open. How was this fair? Wasn't it enough the bastard broke my body? Why did he set me on fire too? Why couldn't they see what he'd done and put it out?

I couldn't see his face, something dark and warm was clouding my eyes.

His voice was frightened. "Taylor?"

"The fire, Jake... Someone stop the fire, please!" I complained tiredly as it burned me.

"Shit! Mike! His hand!"

"He bit him." Mike's voice was no longer calm, it was appalled.

I heard Jake catch his breath in horror.

"Jake, you have to do it." It was Quinn's voice, close by my head. Cool fingers brushed at the wetness in my eyes.

"No!" he bellowed.

"Quinn," I moaned.

"There... might be a chance," Mike said.

"What?" Jake begged.

"See if ya can suck the venom back out. Wound's fairly clean." As Mike spoke, I could feel more pressure on my head, something poking and pulling at my scalp. The pain of it was lost in the pain of the fire.

"Will that work?" Quinn's voice was strained.

"I don't know," Carlisle said. "But we have to hurry."

"Mike, I..." Jake hesitated. "I dunno if I can do that." There was agony in his beautiful voice again.

"It's _your_ decision, Grandpa, either way. I can't help ya. I gotta get this damn bleedin' stopped here if ya gonna be takin' blood from his hand."

I writhed in the grip of the fiery torture, the movement making the pain in my leg flare sickeningly.

"Jake!" I whined.

I realized my eyes were closed again. I opened them, desperate to find his face. And I found him. Finally, I could see his perfect face, staring at me, twisted into a mask of indecision and pain.

"Quinn, get me somethin' to brace his goddamn leg!" Mike was bent over me, working on my head. "Jake, ya gotta do it now! Or 's gonna be too bloody late!"

Jake's face was drawn. I watched his eyes as the doubt was suddenly replaced with a blazing determination. His jaw tightened. I felt his cool, strong fingers on my burning hand, locking it in place.

Then his head bent over it, and his cold lips pressed against my skin.

At first the pain was worse. I cried pitifully and squirmed weakly against the cool hands that held me back. I heard Quinn's voice, trying to calm me. Something heavy held my leg to the floor, and Mike had my head locked in the vise of his stone arms.

Then, slowly, my writhing calmed as my hand grew more and more numb. The fire was dulling, focusing into an ever-smaller point.

"Alright, ease up Grandpa." Mike's warning filtered through the darkness, concerned as he released his tight hold on my head. "C'mon, Jake... ya got this, let go." He continued, as my breath escaped me in a soft sigh. "Jake... ya gonna kill him if ya don't ease the hell off... slow down!"

I felt my consciousness slipping as the pain subsided. I was afraid to fall into the black waters again, afraid I would lose him in the darkness. A loud clatter made me start, helping me float above the dark ocean a little longer.

"Jake," I tried to say, but I couldn't hear my voice. They could hear me.

"Dumbass is right here, Kid." Mike snorted. Somehow, I could sense him shaking his head, his tone amused, exasperated and relieved all in one.

"Stay, Jake, stay with me..." I pleaded, though I knew I had no right after what I'd put him through.

"I will." His voice was strained, but somehow triumphant.

I sighed contentedly. The fire was gone, the other pains dulled by a sleepiness seeping through my body.

"Ya got it all out?" Mike asked from somewhere far away.

"His blood's clean," Jake confirmed quietly. "Can taste the morphine."

"Hey, Kid?" Mike called to me.

I tried to answer, though the best I could manage was a sleepy hum. "Mmmmm?"

"Is the fire gone?"

"Yes," I sighed. "Thank you, Jake."

"I love ya, Taylor." He answered.

"I know," I breathed, wishing I could smirk, but I was just _so_ tired.

I heard my favorite sound in the world; Jake's quiet laugh, weak with relief.

"Taylor?" Mike asked again.

I pouted; I wanted to sleep. _"Whaaaaat?" _ I whined petulantly.

Mike laughed briefly, before his tone turned serious again. "Where's ya brother?"

"In New York," I sighed happily at that fact. "Bastard tricked me, Jake. He watched our home videos Michael took of us." The outrage in my voice was pitifully frail.

But that reminded me.

"Quinn." I tried to open my eyes. "Quinn, the video... he _knew_ you, Quinn, he knew where you came from." I meant to speak urgently, but my voice was feeble. "I smell gasoline," I added, surprised through the haze in my brain.

"It's time to move him," Mike said.

_"Nooooo,_ I want to sleep," I complained.

"It's fine, ya sleep all ya want, Boy Scout. I'll carry ya,"

Jake soothed me. And I was in his arms, cradled against his chest; floating, all the pain gone.

"Sleep now, Taylor." Were the last whispered words that I heard.


	24. Stalemate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh- waterworks  
sorry, can't talk XD
> 
> hope you enjoy!
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
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**Stalemate**

My eyes opened to a bright, white light. I was in an unfamiliar room, a white room. The wall beside me was covered in long vertical blinds; over my head, the glaring lights blinded me. I was propped up on a hard, uneven bed; a bed with rails.

I was either in a hospital or a prison.

The pillows were flat and lumpy. There was an annoying beeping sound somewhere close by. I hoped that meant I was still alive. Death shouldn't be this uncomfortable.

My hands were all twisted up with clear tubes, and something was taped across my face, under my nose.

I lifted my hand to rip it off.

"Nuh uh, don't ya dare try it." And cool fingers caught my hand.

"Jake?" I turned my head slightly, and his exquisite face was just inches from mine, his chin resting on the edge of my pillow. I realized again that I was alive, this time with gratitude and elation. "Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry!" Tears were already forming, pooling and leaking over my cheeks; seeing him again after never thinking I would, save my poor memories... it was overwhelming.

"Shhhh," he shushed me. "Everythin's alright now."

"What happened?" I couldn't remember clearly, and my mind rebelled against me as I tried to recall.

"I was almost too late. I could've been too late," Jake whispered, his voice tormented. "Another twenty seconds... another five-"

"I was so stupid, Jake. I thought he had my brother."

"He tricked us all."

"I need to call Scott and Julia and, god, I need to hear Jordan's actual voice too," I realized through the haze.

"Quinn called 'em. Ya Ma is here; well, here in the hospital. She's gettin' somethin' to eat right now. Ya brother's with her, too. Along with his fella," Jake smirked for some reason, "He would've stayed, but his boyfriend insisted on draggin' him out too."

"They're here?" I tried to sit up, but the spinning in my head accelerated, and his hand pushed me gently down onto the pillows.

"They'll be back soon," he promised. "And _you_ gotta stay still."

"But what did you tell them?" I panicked. I had no interest in being soothed. My family was here and I was recovering from a vampire attack. "What did you tell them I'm here for?"

"Ya fell down two flights of stairs and outta window." He paused. "Ya gotta admit, it could happen. Ya brother said as much."

"Asshole." I snorted, but felt relieved. I sighed, and it hurt in my... well, everywhere. I stared down at my body under the sheet, the huge lump that was my leg. "How bad am I?" I asked.

"Ya got a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in ya skull, bruises coverin' just 'bout every inch of ya skin, and ya lost a lot of blood. They gave ya a few transfusions... I didn't like it; it made ya smell all wrong for a while." His expression turned moody and petulant as he said that, and I couldn't help but laugh despite the fact it hurt so damn much.

"That must have been a nice change for you."

"No, I like how _you_ smell." He grumbled, running his fingers over my wrist gently.

"How did you do it?" I asked quietly. He knew what I meant at once.

"I ain't sure."

Jake looked away from my wondering eyes, lifting my gauze-wrapped hand from the bed and holding it gently in his, careful not to disrupt the wire connecting me to one of the monitors.

I waited patiently for the rest.

He sighed without returning my gaze. "Was impossible... to stop," he whispered. "Impossible. But I did... though, I had to smack myself pretty hard to do it." He looked up finally, with half a smile. "I must love ya."

"Do I... taste as good as I smell?" I smiled in response. That hurt my face.

"Even better; better'n I'd imagined."

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

He raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Of all the bloody things to apologize for."

"What should I apologize for?"

"For nearly takin' yaself away from me?" He answered quickly, harsher than he had clearly intended to. _"Forever."_

"I'm sorry," I apologized again as he sighed and ran his free hand through his hair.

"... I know why ya did it." His voice was comforting. "Was still irrational, 'course. Ya should've waited for me, ya should've _told_ me."

"I _did_ tell you..." I protested weakly, referring to my letter.

He narrowed his eyes. "_In person_." He said in clipped tones, his almost black eyes flashing with exasperation.

"You wouldn't have let me go."

"No," he agreed in a grim tone. "Ya damn right, I wouldn't." He put his hands on either side of my face and brought his face close to mine. His eyes were wide and serious.

"I love you more than anyone in the world," I promised, "but I love Jordan, too. Dumbass that he is; I couldn't risk him dying... because I fell in love with you. Even if it turned out to be a fluke, I had to make certain that he didn't..."

"I really wanna be mad at ya, even considerin' that reasonin'." Jake snorted, "Godammit... ya really will be the death of me, Taylor, I swear."

"Let's hope not."

Some very unpleasant memories were beginning to come back to me. I shuddered, and then winced.  
  
He was instantly anxious. "Taylor, what's wrong?"  
  
"What happened to him?" He didn't need me to clarify who.  
  
"After I pulled him off ya, Craig, Mike and Kele took care of him, before Mike had to come see to ya." There was a fierce note of regret in his voice.  
  
This confused me. "I didn't see Craig and Kele there."  
  
"They had to leave the room… there was a lotta blood. Craigslist all 'bout dragged Kele oughta there."

"But you stayed."  
  
"'Course I bloody stayed." He scowled, clearly outraged by the suggestion of him leaving my side.  
  
"And Quinn, and Mike…" I said in wonder.  
  
"They love ya, too, ya know."  
  
A flash of painful images from the last time I'd seen Quinn reminded me of something. "Did Quinn see the tape?" I asked anxiously.  
  
"Yeah." New sounds darkened his voice, a tone of sheer hatred and a tone of irritated exasperation. "And one day we're gonna talk 'bout why the hell ya decided to try and face off with a goddamn monster like him." I winced, recalling my behaviour as I'd refused to give in to Rex's demands.  
  
"Uh, _ahem..."_ I coughed, pointedly avoiding his comment as I wisely sidestepped back to the topic of Quinn. "She was always in the dark, that's why she didn't remember."  
  
"Yeah... she gets it now." His voice was even, but his face was black with fury. I knew I would have my work cut out to earn forgiveness, now he'd watched the tape.  
  
I tried to reach his face with my free hand, but something stopped me. I glanced down to see the IV pulling at my hand.  
  
"Ugh." I winced.  
  
"What is it?" he asked anxiously; distracted, but not enough. The bleakness did not entirely leave his eyes.  
  
"Needles," I explained, looking away from the one in my hand. I concentrated on a warped ceiling tile and tried to breathe deeply despite the ache in my ribs.  
  
"Afraid of a fuckin' needle," he muttered to himself under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh, a sadistic vampire, intent on torturin' him to death, sure, no problem, he runs off to meet him. An IV, on the other hand…"  
  
I rolled my eyes. I was pleased to discover that this reaction, at least, was pain-free. I decided to change the subject.  
  
"Why are you here?" I asked.  
  
Jake stared at me, first confusion and then hurt touching his eyes. His brows pulled together as he frowned. "D'ya... want me to leave?"  
  
_"No!"_ I protested, horrified by the thought and scrambling against the tug of the needle in my arm, desperate to pull him closer. The monitor for my heart rate jumped three speeds higher in panic. "No, I meant, why does my _family _think you're here? I need to have my story straight before they get back."  
  
"Oh," he said, and his forehead smoothed back into marble. "I came to Sunset beach to 'cause I love ya and weren't 'bout to let ya go without a damn fight. I planned to talk some sense into ya, convince ya to come back to Cedar Cove." His wide eyes were so earnest and sincere, I almost believed him myself. "Ya agreed to seein' me, and ya drove out to the hotel where I was stayin' with Mike and Quinn; 'course I was here with family, for moral support," he inserted virtuously, "but ya tripped on the stairs on ya way to my room and… well, ya know the rest." He smirked deviously, "Ya brother gotta good kick outta that one."

"Of course he would." I sighed and rolled my eyes, already anticipating the endless stream of stair jokes Jordan would no doubt be sending me.

He continued, "Anyway, ya don't gotta remember any details, ya know? Ya gotta pretty good excuse to be a little muddled 'bout the finer points."  
  
I thought about it for a moment. "There are a few flaws with that story. Like no broken windows."  
  
"Not really," he said. "Quinn had a whole lotta fun fabricatin' evidence. 'S all been taken care of very convincingly. Ya can probably sue the hotel if ya wanna. Ya got nothin' to worry 'bout," he promised, stroking my cheek with the lightest of touches. "Ya only job now; is healin'..."  
  
I wasn't so lost to the soreness or the fog of medication that I didn't respond to his touch. The beeping of the monitor jumped around erratically; now he wasn't the only one who could hear my heart misbehave.  
  
"That's going to be beyond embarrassing," I muttered to myself.  
  
He chuckled, and a speculative look came into his eye. "Hmm, I wonder…"  
  
He leaned in slowly; the beeping noise accelerated wildly before his lips even touched me. But when they did, though with the most gentle of pressure, the beeping stopped altogether. He pulled back abruptly, his anxious expression turning to relief as the monitor reported the restarting of my heart.  
  
"Looks like I'm gonna have to be even more careful with ya than usual." He frowned.  
  
"I wasn't finished kissing you," I complained. "Don't make me come over there." I threatened pitifully.  
  
He grinned, and bent to press his lips lightly to mine. The monitor went wild and I was certain it was about to stop altogether again, when suddenly his lips were taut. He pulled away.  
  
"I think I hear ya Ma," he said, grinning again.  
  
"Don't leave me," I cried, an irrational surge of panic flooding through me. I couldn't let him go; he might disappear from me again.  
  
He read the terror in my eyes for a short second. "I ain't," he promised solemnly, and then he smiled. "I'll take a nap."  
  
He moved from the hard plastic chair by my side to the turquoise faux-leather recliner at the foot of my bed, leaning it all the way back, and closing his eyes. He was perfectly still.  
  
"Don't forget to breathe," I whispered sarcastically. He took a deliberately deep breath, his eyes still closed despite a twitch of a grin. I scowled after him.  
  
I could hear my mother now. She was talking to someone, probably Jordan, and she sounded tired and upset. I wanted to jump out of the bed and run to her, to calm her, promise that everything was fine. But I wasn't in any sort of shape for jumping or running, so I waited impatiently.  
  
The door opened a crack, and she peeked through.  
  
"Mom!" I whispered, my voice full wistful and longing.  
  
Julia took in Jake's still form on the recliner, and tiptoed to my bedside.  
  
"He never leaves, does he?" she mumbled to herself.  
  
"Mom, I'm so glad to see you!"  
  
She bent down to hug me gently, and I felt warm tears falling on my cheeks. "Taylor, I was so upset..."  
  
"I'm sorry, Mom. But everything's fine now, it's okay," I comforted her.  
  
"I'm just glad to finally see your eyes open." She sat on the edge of my bed.  
  
I suddenly realized I didn't have any idea when it was. "How long have they been closed?"  
  
"It's Friday, hon, you've been out for a while."  
  
"Friday?" I was shocked. I tried to remember what day it had been when… but I didn't want to think about that.  
  
"They had to keep you sedated for a while, honey; you've got a lot of injuries."  
  
"I know." I could feel them.  
  
"You're very lucky Dr. Darwin was there. He's such a nice man… very young, though. And he looks more like a model than a doctor…"  
  
"You met Mike?"  
  
"And Jake's sister Quinn. She's a lovely girl."  
  
"She is," I agreed wholeheartedly.  
  
She glanced over her shoulder at Jake, lying with his eyes closed in the chair. "He is quite handsome. You should've seen how Michael dragged poor Jordan out of here earlier," Julia chuckled, "it was rather an amusing sight."

I snorted, feeling both smug and slightly jealous on the assumption that my brother may have been ogling Jake. Still, as I know how obsessed he was about Michael before they made things official, I don't think he'd be jumping ship anytime soon, regardless of ruggedly handsome disguised vampires.

Julia hummed, "You didn't tell me you had such good friends in Cedar Cove." she mused.  
  
I cringed, and then moaned.  
  
"What hurts?" she demanded anxiously, turning back to me. Jake's eyes opened quickly and flashed to my face behind her back.  
  
"It's fine," I assured them. "I just have to remember not to move." He lapsed back into his phony slumber, his lips twisted into a grimace.  
  
I took advantage of my mother's momentary distraction to keep the subject from returning to my less-than-candid behavior. "Where are they? Jordan, Michael and Jim, I mean..." I asked quickly.  
  
"Jordan and Michael went for a walk along the sea front..." she said gently, which, knowing my brother; roughly translated into, they'd gone to make out under the pier. "Jim is still in New York; oh, Taylor! You'll never guess! Just when we were about to leave, the best news!"  
  
"Jim got Jordan signed?" I guessed.  
  
"Yes! How did you guess!" She grinned, "Some player chatted him up and said his daughter raved about Jordan's plays back at high school. He's from The Suns, can you believe it?"  
  
"That's great, Mom," I said as enthusiastically as I could manage, though I had little idea what that meant.  
  
"And you'll like The Big Apple so much," she gushed while I stared at her vacantly. "I was a little bit worried when Jim started talking about Akron, what with the snow and everything, because you know how I hate the cold, but now New York! It's usually sunny, and the humidity really isn't that bad. We found the cutest house, looks just like in an old movie, and this huge oak tree out the front, and it's just a few minutes from the high street, and you'll have your own bathroom —"  
  
"Wait, Mom!" I interrupted.

Jake still had his eyes closed, but he looked too tense to pass for sleeping now.  
  
"What are you talking about? I'm... I'm _not_ going with you... mom." I frowned, confused why she thought such a thing. "I live in Cedar Cove."  
  
"But you don't have to anymore, silly. Scott told me that he was flying in to check how you're doing, so he'll be here soon too. He said something about bringing up your stuff from there, too." She told me with mirth, and I winced internally. Oh god, I desperately wanted to hug Scott right now and beg on my broken leg for his forgiveness. What he must be thinking of me. "Jim will be able to be around so much more now… we've talked about it a lot, and what I'm going to do is trade off on the away games, half the time with you, half the time with him and Jordan."  
  
"Mom." I hesitated, wondering how best to be diplomatic about this. "I _want_ to live in Cedar Cove. I, uh, lashed out at dad, because of coursework stress... because I was afraid—" I paused guiltily, not wanting to hurt her as I already had Scott, but knowing there was no other way to make her understand. I took a deep breath, and reached for her hand. "I freaked out, because I was scared... terrified of loving Jake, even more than you ever loved Dad. You always told us, that you regretted marrying dad, regretted that you gave up on everything you dreamed of; and I just... I panicked, because, I've always been so careful never to feel strongly that for anyone." Her face was full of shock, her lips parting to interrupt, but I squeezed her hand pleadingly and she remained silent.

"It wasn't your fault, so don't think it. I just... I was always the cautious one. I listened, I was wary; while Jordan throws himself into things with determination and fire... but, was scared to do that. I missed Cedar Cove, mom. I missed Dad. I'm sorry, I know I'm disappointing you. I know you hate it there, and that I'm not here to take care of you now, but... but I don't want to be scared to love anymore, mom. Jake-" I swallowed thickly, my eyes finding him across the room. Perfect and still; but his attention clearly hanging upon my every word. "He came all the way here, just to talk to me... I don't want to give that up, without trying. He makes me stronger, makes me feel things I never thought I'd feel. I love him, mom. I want to be with him, and live with Scott; and I want to finish college. I want to show I can do both, without sacrificing like you did."

Julia was still and silent for a long pause, I was worried I had overstepped some boundary, she drew in a deep breath and looked away, seemingly lost for words. I felt panic and concern that I'd hurt her collide in my already painful chest.

"Please, mom... I've been happier than I've ever been in Cedar Cove. I love the place. I'm already settled in at my classes, and I have a couple of friends..." she glanced toward Jake again when I reminded her of friends, so I tried another direction. "A-and Scott needs me. He still owes me a good hiking trip. And... please, don't look like that, I don't want to hurt you-"  
  
"Taylor, honey, you're gonna pull something baby. Shhh..." Julia soothed, unaware of Jake's eyes opening and snapping over to me anxiously. "Honey, I—" she paused, shaking her head in disbelief. "You really want to stay in Cedar Cove?" she asked, bewildered. The idea was inconceivable to her. And then her eyes flickered back toward Jake. "Why?"  
  
"I told you; college, friends, Scott. _Because I like Cedar Cove-_ ouch!" I'd shrugged. Not a good idea.  
  
Her hands fluttered helplessly over me, trying to find a safe place to pat. She made do with my forehead; it was un-bandaged.  
  
"Taylor, honey, you hate Cedar Cove," she reminded me.  
  
"No, mom!" I protested, wrenching my head free of her hand to make her look at me. _"You_ hate it and _Jordan _hates it... and you never listen when I say that I _don't._ Please; listen to me this once." I pleaded, desperately hoping I could finally make her understand. "I _love_ Cedar Cove. It's perfect for me."  
  
Julia frowned and looked back and forth between Jake and me, this time very deliberately.  
  
"Is it this boy?" she whispered.  
  
I groaned and rolled my eyes, frustrated that I'd tried so hard only to run into the familiar brick wall. It was like she just couldn't accept anyone could enjoy being in Cedar Cove. "Mom... I'm twenty years old. I'm not going to ask your permission to live where I damn well want, okay?" I finally bit out, scowling at the ceiling as Julia blinked in surprise. "I've told you that he's part of it," I said. No need to confess how big a part. "But that was hardly what influenced my original decision; which you _keep_ dismissing." I said firmly, holding an intent scowl on my face, until Julia finally buckled beneath the weight of my conviction; giving in with a sigh. "So," I sighed, sagging with relief. "Have you had a chance to talk with Jake?" I asked.  
  
"Yes." She hesitated, looking at his perfectly still form. "And I want to talk to you about that."  
  
Oh boy, this just got better by the minute. Well, out of the frying pan, into the fire. "What about?" I asked cautiously.  
  
"I think that boy is in love with you," she accused, keeping her voice low.  
  
"Er, he's not exactly a boy anymore, mom," I said lamely, thinking how it was literally the understatement of a century. I cleared my throat. "And ya know... neither am I. But uh, I think so, too. Counting on it, actually..."  
  
"I suppose I should take it that he's a permanent fixture in your life, then?" She only poorly concealed the raging curiosity in her voice.  
  
I sighed, looking away. As much as I loved my mom, this was not a conversation I wanted to continue with her. "I'm crazy about him, mom. Even more than Jordan is about Michael."   
  
"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good-looking, but you're so young, Taylor… Are you sure it's not just a crush?" Her voice was unsure; as far as I could remember, this was the first time since I was eight that she'd come close to trying to sound like a parental authority toward me.

I recognized the reasonable-but-firm tone of voice from talks I'd had with her about men.  
  
"I'm the same age as Jordan; who has been in a committed relationship for ages. Why must everyone baby _only_ me?" I demanded petulantly. "I assure you, I'm way more inexperienced than he is; only in the definitive sense. I'm in college! Wherever this leads... I can make good decisions regarding it," I soothed her.  
  
"I suppose. I guess I'll always see you as my baby, though," she agreed, easily pleased.

_"Moooom..!"_  
  
Then she sighed and glanced guiltily over her shoulder at the big, round clock on the wall.  
  
"Do you need to go?"  
  
She bit her lip. "Jim's supposed to call in a little while… We left him at New York so he could seal the deal regarding Jordan and The Suns. I didn't know you were going to wake up…"  
  
"No problem, Mom." I tried to tone down the relief so she wouldn't get her feelings hurt. "I won't be alone."  
  
"I'll be back soon. I've been sleeping here, you know," she announced, proud of herself.  
  
"Oh, Mom, you don't have to do that! You can sleep at home! I'll never notice." The swirl of painkillers in my brain was making it hard to concentrate even now, though, apparently, I'd been sleeping for days.  
  
"I was too nervous," she admitted sheepishly. "There's been some crime in the neighborhood, and I don't like being there alone."  
  
"Crime?" I asked in alarm.  
  
"Someone broke into that dance studio around the corner from the house and burned it to the ground! There's nothing left at all! And they left a stolen car right out front. Do you remember when you used to dance there, honey?"  
  
"I remember." I shivered, and winced.  
  
"I can stay, baby, if you need me."  
  
"No, Mom, I'll be fine. Jake will be with me."  
  
She looked like that might be why she wanted to stay. "Okay. But I'm having Jordan and Michael stay." I could live with that. If Michael had been jealous of Jake, as I assumed he was, then they probably won't be checking in as often. But I did want to see Jordan at least once. Just to confirm that Rex hadn't been bluffing about not involving him. "I'll be back tonight." It sounded as much like a warning as it sounded like a promise, and she glanced at Jake again as she said it.  
  
"I love you, Mom."  
  
"I love you, too, Taylor. Try to be more careful when you walk, honey, I don't want to lose you."  
  
Jake's eyes stayed closed, but a wide grin flashed briefly across his face.  
  
A nurse came bustling in then to check all my tubes and wires. My mother kissed my forehead, patted my gauze-wrapped hand, and left.  
  
The nurse was checking the paper readout on my heart monitor.  
  
"Are you feeling anxious, honey? Your heart rate got a little high there."  
  
"I'm fine," I assured her.  
  
"I'll tell your RN that you're awake. She'll be in to see you in a minute."  
  
As soon as she closed the door, Jake was at my side.  
  
"You stole a car?" I raised my eyebrows.  
  
He smiled, unrepentant. "Was a good car, very fast."  
  
"How was your nap?" I asked.  
  
"Interestin'." His eyes narrowed.  
  
"Uh, what..?"  
  
He looked down while he answered. "I'm surprised. I thought New York… and ya Ma… well, after everythin', I thought that's what ya'd want."  
  
I stared at him uncomprehendingly. "But you'd be stuck inside all day in New York. You'd only be able to come out at night, just like a real vampire."  
  
He almost smiled, but not quite. And then his face was grave. "I'd stay in Cedar Cove, Taylor. Or somewhere like it," he explained. "Someplace I couldn't hurt ya anymore."  
  
It didn't sink in at first. I continued to stare at him blankly as the words one by one clicked into place in my head like a ghastly puzzle. I was barely conscious of the sound of my heart accelerating, though I didn't need the monitor to register it's extreme rate this time. As my breathing became hyperventilation, I was aware of the sharp aching in my protesting ribs. He didn't say anything; he watched my face warily as the pain that had nothing to do with broken bones, pain that was infinitely worse, threatened to crush me.  
  
And then another nurse walked purposefully into the room. Jake sat still as stone as she took in my expression with a practiced eye before turning to the monitors.  
  
"Time for more pain meds, sweetheart?" she asked kindly, tapping the IV feed.  
  
"No, no," I mumbled, trying to keep the agony out of my voice. "I don't need anything." I couldn't afford to close my eyes now.  
  
"No need to be brave, honey. It's better if you don't get too stressed out; you need to rest." She waited, but I just shook my head.  
  
"Okay," she sighed. "Hit the call button when you're ready."  
  
She gave Jake a stern look, and threw one more anxious glance at the machinery, before leaving.

His cool hands were on my face instantly; I stared at him with wild eyes. "Taylor, bloody hell... just calm down."  
  
"Don't leave me," I begged in a broken voice. "Please, Jake; I'm so sorry! Please, you can't... didn't you hear me with my mom before?! _Please,_ Jake—!"  
  
"I ain't," he promised. "Now relax before I call the goddamn nurse back to sedate ya."  
  
But my heart couldn't slow.  
  
"Taylor." He stroked my face anxiously. "I ain't goin' anywhere. I'll be right here, as long as ya need me."  
  
"Do you _swear_ you won't leave me?" I whispered, my voice thick and my eyes heavy with hot tears, burning me as I tried in vain to hold them back. I tried to control the gasping, at least. My ribs were throbbing.  
  
He put his hands on either side of my face and brought his face close to mine. His eyes were wide and serious. "I swear."  
  
The smell of his breath was soothing. It seemed to ease the ache of my breathing. He continued to hold my gaze while my body slowly relaxed and the beeping returned to a normal pace. His eyes were dark, bottomless and smoldering.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes," I said cautiously.

He shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. I thought I picked out the word "overreaction."

"Why did you say that?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "Are you tired of having to save me all the time? Do you... _want_ me to go away?"

"Don't be a dumbass. I don't wanna be without ya, Taylor, 'course not. Ya know how I damn well feel 'bout ya... and I got no problem with savin' ya, either; if it weren't for the fact that I was the one puttin' ya in danger... that I'm the reason ya here, Boy Scout."

"Yes, you are the reason." I frowned. "The reason I'm here; alive."

"Barely." His voice was just a whisper. "Covered in gauze and plaster and hardly able to move."

"I wasn't referring to my most recent near-death experience," I said, growing irritated. "I was thinking of the others; you can take your damn pick. If it weren't for you, I would be rotting away in the Cedar Cove cemetery. If I had somehow survived the van squishing me; I would have been... Brian and his friends would have—"

Jake winced at my words, the haunted look growing stronger in his eyes.

"That ain't the worst part, though," he continued to whisper. He acted as if I hadn't spoken. "Not seein' ya there on the floor... crumpled and broken." His voice was choked. "Not thinkin' I was too late. Not even knowin' ya were in pain, but that I couldn't do nothin' to help ya... not all those unbearable memories that I'll carry with me for the rest of eternity. Nah, the very worst was feelin'... _knowin'_ that I couldn't stop. Believin' that I was gonna kill ya myself. If Mike hadn't been there..."

"But you didn't."

"I could've. So easily."

I knew I needed to stay calm... but he was trying to talk himself into leaving me, and the panic fluttered in my lungs, trying to get out. "Promise me," I whispered urgently, my monitor beeping dangerously once more.

"What?"

"You _know_ what." I was starting to get angry now. He was so stubbornly determined to dwell on the negative. "Jake, you don't seem to understand what you mean to me, what my life would become without you..." I said between pained gasps of breath. "If you left me, Jake... I don't think I'd know how to live anymore. You'd take every ounce of life in me with you." I bit out firmly, glaring at him for his infuriating determination to not understand me. He was as bad as my damn mother.

He heard the change in my tone. His eyes tightened. "I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from ya, so I s'pose ya'll get ya way... whether it kills ya or not," he added roughly.

"Good." He hadn't promised, though; a fact that I had not missed. The panic was only barely contained. I had no strength left to control the anger. "You told me _how_ you stopped... now I want to know _why,"_ I demanded.

"Why?" he repeated warily.

"Why you did it. Why didn't you just let the venom spread? By now I would be just like you."

Jake's eyes seemed to turn flat black, and I remembered that this was something he'd never intended me to know. Quinn must have been preoccupied by the things she'd learned about herself... or she'd been very careful with her thoughts around him; clearly, he'd had no idea that she'd filled me in on the mechanics of vampire conversions. He was surprised, and infuriated. His nostrils flared, his mouth looked as if it was chiseled from stone.

He wasn't going to answer, that much was clear.

"I'll be the first to admit that I have no experience with relationships," I said. "But it just seems logical... both parties have to be somewhat equal... as in, one of them can't always be swooping in and saving the other one. They have to save each other _equally."_

Jake folded his arms on the side of my bed and rested his chin on his arms. His expression was smooth, the anger reined in. Evidently he'd decided he wasn't angry with me. I hoped I'd get a chance to warn Quinn before he caught up with her.

"Ya _have_ saved me," he said quietly.

"I can't always be Lois Lane," I insisted. "I want to be Superman, too."

"Great, now ya into DC," Jake snorted, an attempt at humor before shaking his head. He sighed wearily as he looked up at me pleadingly, before averting his eyes to just beside my head; avoiding my eyes. "Ya dunno what ya askin'." His voice was soft; he stared intently at the edge of the pillowcase.

"I think I do."

"Taylor, ya _don't_ know. I had a hundred years to think 'bout this, and I still ain't sure."

"Do you wish that Mike hadn't saved _you?"_

"Naw, I don't wish that." He paused before continuing. "But my life was over. I weren't givin' anythin' up."

"You _are_ my life. You're the one and _only_ thing it would hurt me to lose."

I was getting better at this confessing business. It was easy to admit how much I needed him. He was very calm, though. Decided.

"I can't do it, Taylor. I _won't_ do that to ya."

"Why not?" My throat rasped and the words weren't as loud as I'd meant them to be. "Don't tell me it's too hard! After today, or... I guess, it was a few days ago... well, whatever! After that, it should be nothing."

He glared at me. "And the pain?" he asked.

I scowled at him determinedly. I wasn't about to let him dissuade me from my decision, now I'd made it. But I tried to keep my expression from showing how clearly I remembered the feeling... the fire in my veins.

"That's my decision, Jake, not yours. Not anymore." I said. "I can handle it."

"Ya know, it's possible to take bravery to the point of insanity."

"It's not an issue. Three days. Big deal."

Jake grimaced again as my words reminded him that I was more informed than he had ever intended me to be. I watched him repress the anger, watched as his eyes grew speculative.

"Scott?" he asked curtly. "Julia and Jim? Jordan?"

Minutes passed in silence as I struggled to answer his question. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I closed it again. He waited, and his expression became triumphant because he knew I had no true answer.

"Look, that's not an issue either," I finally muttered; my voice was strained from the overwhelming sense of rejection which was beginning to build in my heart. "Julia has always made the choices that work for her; she'd want me to do the same. Jordan would be pissed that I got a boyfriend hotter than his, but he'll live." I tried for a smirk. He didn't smile back. "And Scott's resilient, he's used to being on his own and he would be happy to know I made a decision about my life which made me happy. I can't take care of everyone else forever, Jake. I have my own life to live."

"Exactly," he snapped. "And I ain't gonna end it for ya."

"If you're waiting for me to be on my deathbed, I've got news for you! I was just there!"

"Ya gonna recover," he reminded me.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, ignoring the spasm of pain it triggered. I stared at him, and he stared back. There was no compromise in his face.

"No, Jake." I said slowly. "I'm not."

His forehead creased. "'Course ya are. Ya might have a scar or two..."

"You're wrong," I insisted. "I'm going to die."

"C'mon, Taylor." He was anxious now, inching closer to the bed. "Ya gonna be outta here in a couple days. Fortnight at most."

I glared at him. "I may not die _now..._ but I'm going to die sometime. Every minute of the day, I get closer. And I'm going to get old."

He frowned as what I was saying sunk in, pressing his long fingers to his temples and closing his eyes. "That's how it's s'posed to happen. How it _should_ happen. How it would've happened if I didn't exist; and I _shouldn't_ exist."

I snorted. He opened his eyes in surprise. "That's stupid. That's like going to someone who's just won the lottery, taking their money, and saying, 'Look, let's just go back to how things should be. It's better that way.' And I'm not buying it." I scowled at him irritably. "Not to mention, if you didn't exist; I'd be a Taylor sandwich, splattered all over the college car park.

Jake grit his teeth and counted to ten, before pointedly ignoring my last comment. "I'm ain't a damn lottery prize," he growled.

"That's right. You're much better." I scoffed, shaking my head as I turned away to face the wall and tried to collect myself briefly.

He rolled his eyes and set his lips. "Taylor—"

"Jake..." I said quietly, something in my tone causing him to stop his interruption and lean closer to me, clearly concerned. "I'm going to grow old over the years, while you stay the same. One day, I'm going to have to introduce you as my son... my grandson. Jake, I don't want to have to hide what I feel for you. I don't want to be taken away from you. I want to live, beside you; as an equal, able to show the world how proud I am that I get to keep you... that you're _mine,_ forever." I sniffed and wiped at my eyes viciously.

Jake seemed more distressed by this than I'd expected him to be, he frowned and searched for some way to reply. "Ya ain't gonna have to hide anythin'..." he said hesitantly, struggling more than he clearly wanted to be. "I'm gonna make sure ya live a long and happy life, as much as I can... so, we ain't havin' this discussion anymore. Alright?" He said, his brow creasing as he came to some decision. "I refuse to damn ya to an eternity of night and that's the end of it."

"If you think that's the end, then you don't know me very well," I warned him, fighting to mask the way my heart froze and shattered at his words. "You're not the only vampire I know."

His eyes went black again. "Quinn wouldn't dare."

And for a moment he looked so frightening that I couldn't help but believe it. I couldn't imagine a single person brave enough to cross him.

Except myself.

"Get out." I said abruptly, turning my face to the wall as my monitor went crazy, my heart beating uselessly, haltingly in my chest. 

"What?" Jake's surprise and alarm was clear, his hand reaching for my face to turn my gaze back to his. 

I slapped at his hand uselessly and kept my tearful eyes averted from him. "I said get out." My voice was breaking; a mirror of my heart. "If you don't damn well want me, then just damn well leave already. Don't make me love you even more, just so you can break me even worse when you decide my stupid, w-weak and... h-human—" I couldn't speak any further past the pain in my chest, sucking in ragged breaths around my venomous vitriol, but never seeming to catch my breath.

"Taylor!" Jake's fear was evident as my monitor blared an alarming cacophony in the room; my heartbreak only too apparent despite my feeble attempts to hide it. "Taylor! Look at me, godammit!" Jake insisted, though he didn't dare try to force me to move, for fear of further damaging some part of me. "Aw, hell!" 

Cool hands locked like vices to my cheeks, holding my face still as Jake's cool lips pressed firmly against my own. I whimpered, my hands fluttering uselessly over his own as he swallowed my broken sob.

"Ya listen to me, ya goddamn pain in the ass." Jake's voice was hoarse as he pulled a half a hairs breath back, rough with some emotion I couldn't name; and I found my eyes moving without my permission to meet his own dark gaze. "There ain't nothin' I want in this dumbass world, more'n I want _you_. I love ya, like I never thought I'd love anyone, Taylor. _You're_ the one found that in me, _you_ woke it up in me. Ya made me more'n the monster inside..." He whispered harshly, his black eyes almost pleading as I bit my lip and held my breath, closing my eyes as he swept his cold thumb over my cheek.

"If I were human, I'd give ya everythin' ya ask of me and more. I'd give ya the goddamn world." He promised thickly, as I tentatively lifted my hand to toy with the ends of his shaggy hair. "Ya think I don't want ya, ya more of an idiot than I ever thought ya were." He said, narrowing his eyes at me, though his shoulders relaxed slightly at my obvious weakening. "Taylor... I love ya and I want ya. I just... I want ya, to be _you._" He said imploringly, further weakening my resolve. _"Please..._ don't do this." Jake pleaded, his eyes searching mine urgently for another long moment, before he leaned closer and kissed me again.

My fingers curled into the ends of his hair I'd been toying with, my breath catching as his lips met mine as urgently as they ever had. My breath exploding from my lungs for once didn't send him reeling away from me, instead allowing me to pull him closer as I hiccuped and cried, moaning softly as the kiss slowly softened, my heart rate eventually evening out and returning to its usual, steady thrum.

"Still want me to leave?" Jake murmured as his lips grazed carefully over my cheek.

"I never want you to leave, Jake." I sniffed, shaking my head as I gripped the edge of his jacket and held him close. "That's the whole problem, you... stupid, dumbass, vampire asshole." I muttered petulantly, ignoring his snicker and tilting my face to his, breathing in his calming scent. "I just, I want to stay with you... and it feels like that isn't what you want, because you saying _no_ sure as hell doesn't make me feel the love, Jake." The words came out in a rushed sigh, but I found them easier to say than ever. I wondered if this was the natural progression of love. To be able to coherently say the things I'd always hidden before out of embarrassment.

"Taylor—" Jake's tone was reproachful, his eyes flickering with pain as he frowned and pulled back to search my eyes imploringly. "That ain't... look, ya can't think dumb shit like that, 'kay? It ain't true and it ain't ever gonna be, so just... get it outta ya head, alright? If I could, I'd cry and show ya... I'd, I'd get Quinn to tell ya—"

"Oh my god..." Realisation hit me like lightning, my breath catching as I stared at him. "Quinn already saw it, didn't she?" I guessed suddenly, silencing him as he reminded me of her ability. "That's why the things she says upset you. She knows I'm going to be like you... someday." Hope speared my heart suddenly, relief welling like a great balloon at the thought I might be getting my eternity with him after all.

Jake scowled, clearly having not intended for me to know about this particular vision. "She's wrong, goddammit. She also saw ya dead, but that didn't happen, either." He said stubbornly, though his tone was softer than our earlier argument on the subject, now fearing my taking his words to heart.

I smiled smugly. "You'll never catch me betting against Quinn."

We stared at each other for a very long time. It was quiet except for the whirring of the machines, the beeping, the dripping, the ticking of the big clock on the wall. Finally, his expression softened.

"So where does that leave us?" I wondered.

He chuckled humorlessly. "Think 's called an stalemate."

I sighed and reluctantly flopped back on my pillows as Jake hesitantly returned to his seat. "Ouch," I muttered.

"How're ya feelin'?" he asked, his voice rough from the strain we'd both been through in the past few moments, eyeing the button for the nurse.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"I don't believe ya," he said gently.

"I'm _not_ going back to sleep."

"Ya need rest. All this arguin' ain't good for ya." Jake sighed, running his free hand through his hair as he swallowed thickly, his eyes tortured and regretful as he gazed down at me.

"So give in," I pouted.

"Nice try." He reached for the button.

"No!"

He ignored me.

"Yes?" the speaker on the wall squawked.

"Think we're ready for some pain meds," he said calmly, ignoring my furious expression.

"I'll send in the nurse." The voice sounded very bored.

"I won't take it," I promised.

He looked toward the sack of fluids hanging beside my bed. "Don't think they're gonna be askin' ya to swallow anythin', Boy Scout."

My heart rate started to climb again. He read the fear in my eyes, and sighed in frustration.

"Taylor, ya in pain. Ya gotta relax so ya can heal. Why the hell're ya being so bloody difficult? They ain't gonna put any more needles in ya now."

"I'm not afraid of the needles," I mumbled. "I'm afraid to close my eyes."

Jake frowned briefly, before he rolled his eyes and sighed. Then he smiled his crooked smile, and took my face between his hands. "I told ya I ain't goin' anywhere. Don't be 'fraid. As long as it makes ya happy, I'll be here."

I smiled back, ignoring the ache in my cheeks. "You're talking about forever, you know."

"Oh, you'll get over it; it's just a crush."

I shook my head in disbelief, it made me dizzy. "I was shocked when Julia tried that one. I know _you_ know better."

"'S the beautiful thing 'bout bein' human," he told me. "Things change."

My eyes narrowed. "Don't hold your breath. Top Gun."

He was laughing when the nurse came in, brandishing a syringe.

"Excuse me," she said brusquely to Jake.

He got up and crossed to the end of the small room, leaning against the wall. He folded his arms and waited. I kept my eyes on him, still apprehensive. He met my gaze calmly.

"Here you go, honey." The nurse smiled as she injected the medicine into my tube. "You'll feel better now."

"Thanks," I mumbled, unenthusiastic. It didn't take long. I could feel the drowsiness trickling through my bloodstream almost immediately.

"That ought to do it," she muttered as my eyelids drooped.

She must have left the room, because something cold and smooth touched my face.

"Stay." The word was slurred.

"I will," he promised. His voice was beautiful, like a lullaby. "Like I said, as long as it makes ya happy... as long as it's what's _best_ for ya."

I tried to shake my head, but it was too heavy. "'S not the same thing," I mumbled.

He laughed. "Don't worry 'bout that now, Taylor. Ya can argue with me when ya wake up."

I think I smiled. '"Kay."

I could feel his lips at my ear.

"I love ya," he whispered.

"Me, too."

"I know," he laughed quietly.

I turned my head slightly... searching. He knew what I was after. His lips touched mine gently.

"Thanks," I sighed.

"Anytime."

I wasn't really there at all anymore. But I fought against the stupor weakly. There was just one more thing

I wanted to tell him.

"Jake?" I struggled to pronounce his name clearly.

"Yes?"

"I'm betting on Quinn," I mumbled.

And then the night closed over me.

When I next woke it was to prods and pulls and various doctors flowing in and out of the room. Julia had come back at some point, as promised. Jake, I was relieved to find, was still beside my bed, his cheek resting on the back of his hand as he feigned sleep; until I was fully roused and the people began to flow busily around the bed. I hated that he couldn't stay there while the doctors fussed, complying with their orders and answering questions begrudgingly, as Jake grinned at me from his chair across the room.

I was finally given some peace around lunchtime, and I whined in frustration as Jake laughed quietly beside me. "C'mon, they're just doin' their jobs, ya know..." He snickered, shaking his head at my surly attitude.

"Doesn't mean I have to like any of them." I grumbled, huffing and relaxing further into my pillows.

"No, but it don't mean ya gotta make it any more difficult for 'em, eithe—" Jake turned towards the door, falling silent as he frowned briefly, before his face turned carefully blank.

"What is it?" I asked, immediately concerned.

"Nothin' bad." Jake reassured me, though his rising from beside my bed set my monitor's to jumping erratically. "Taylor..." he sighed, rolling his eyes as he leaned over me with a rueful grin. "Just, behave yaself, would ya?" He huffed, kissing my cheek softly for a moment, before moving away and seating himself in his chair, turning his face towards the wall and feigning sleep once more.

"Thanks for the heads up." I muttered scathingly, his lips twitching with amusement briefly, before there was a gentle tap at my door. "Uh, come in..?" I called uncertainly, flashing a confused frown at Jake's 'sleeping' form. 

My monitor skipped a beat, as the door slowly cracked open, to reveal Scott; disheveled and clearly exhausted, hovering in the doorway, as if uncertain of his welcome. My heart crumbled for new reasons, my guilt returning full force as I realised the depth of Scott's pain when I'd left. I couldn't think how to appropriately word an apology for him, so I did the only thing I could think of. I held out my hands like a toddler would for a toy, or their parent and whimpered as I urgently gestured him closer.

"Daddy..." I choked, my throat tight and my eyes stinging, burning as tears poured over my cheeks. Scott's face immediately melted, and he strode across the room to me without further hesitation. "D-dad... I-I'm so, so sorry..!" I cried as his hand hovered just beyond my cheek, his eyes sweeping over me and surveying the damage as his eyes shimmered dangerously. "Please forgive me, I-I didn't mean it, not any of it! I'm sorry—"

Scott hesitated a moment longer, clearly distressed by my state and wondering which part of me he could safely touch. He huffed when I grew impatient and grabbed his arm, pulling him closer and burying my face in his shirt.

"I'm sorry, daddy..." I sniffled, as Scott chuckled quietly and carefully rest his arms around my shoulders.

"You haven't called me that, since you were... oof," he paused, his fingers stroking gently through the short hair at the nape of my neck; soothing me as he hadn't had to in years. "I think you were about five, actually." He mused thoughtfully, seeming pleased by my lapse into the childhood word.

"Yeah, well..." I mumbled, rubbing my bruised face over his shirt, despite the pain it caused. "Sometimes 'dad' just isn't strong enough." I hiccuped, my guilt and grief spiralling rapidly, chasing each other through my chest. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, and Scott held me as I cried, all his usual distance gone; as he comforted and soothed me.

I didn't deserve it; but I relished it nonetheless.

"I wanna go home, dad..." I sniffled pitifully, when I'd gotten over the worst of my emotional outpouring. Scott hated dealing with emotional situations, I knew they made him awkward; like me, but he was actually damn good at this soothing business when he tried. "Can't you use your badge and bust me outta here so we can go already?" I pleaded thickly, my throat sore from all my crying.

"Soon, Tay-Bear, soon." He promised, scrubbing his fingers gently over the back of my shoulder. "If I hadn't seen all these tubes and things for myself, I might've abused my authority a little... get you transferred to a hospital in New York—"

"What?" I yelped, flinching as I pulled back from his hug to stare at him in abject horror. Had Julia insisted I go with her? Had I hurt him too badly? "We don't live in New York, dad... we live in Cedar Cove." I said firmly, tensing as Scott frowned and eyed me warily.

"I thought you didn't want to live in Cedar Cove anymore..?" He said hesitantly, his eyes betraying his pain from the awful things I'd said in my hurry to get away.

I realised then; he'd come straight to check on me. He hadn't spoken to Julia. "Oh, dad..." I bit my lip as it trembled; and then I was crying again. _"Daaaddyyy—!"_ Coherent words wouldn't form properly; and Scott's distress quickly mounted at my return to an emotional mess.

"Uh, really now, Tay-Bear..! I, I uh—" Scott stammered, patting my head awkwardly. "It's okay... Cedar Cove; it's not for everyone, I know that you, Jordan and your mom—"

"No, no, _no!"_ I cried harder, shaking my head as my monitor beeped wildly with my distress.

I was surprised Jake hadn't intervened yet and called for a nurse. I sucked in a deep trembling breath and glanced toward him, making a concerted effort to control myself.

"Dad," I began shakily, looking back at Scott, just as he followed my glance and noticed Jake in the corner; his expression immediately darkening. "Don't... don't look at him like that, please. Let me explain." I pleaded, taking Scott's hand and squeezing gently. "Those awful things I said? I didn't mean a single one, dad." 

I cleared my throat, and licked my lips, my eyes rising to meet Scott's as he looked back at me dubiously.

"You know how, you and mom always said you were too young, when you fell in love?" I asked, snickering softly when Scott raised an eyebrow at me slowly. "Okay, I guess it was mom, always said that... but you _do _know that I've always been more hesitant, more cautious than Jordan has been, when it comes to uh, dating and... relationship stuff." I said, a familiar awkwardness settling over me.

Why was Scott so much harder to talk to than Julia?

"I guess that's one way to put it," Scott chuckled fondly, ruffling my hair gently. "I mean, you went so far as to eat dirt when your brother dared you to... rather than just admit you had a crush on Rory. Kind of gave you away, Tay-Bear." He laughed quietly as I grimaced and flushed with embarrassment. I hadn't intended for Jake to ever know about that part of the dare.

I glanced towards him and saw his lips were curved slightly in his feigned, ridiculously deep sleep.

"Ahem, thank you so much for saying that so nice and loud there, dad." I coughed, clearing my throat and sighing as I shifted my weight on my pillows and tried to get comfortable. "But, back to the point." I said, taking another deep breath and deliberating for a moment, before puffing out my cheeks and swallowing my pride. "When I was with Jake, watching him play baseball with his family... it hit me suddenly. It was like, all my breath left me at once; like a physical blow..." I said, not entirely lying as I blurred the timeline of my epiphany slightly. I met Scott's eyes with as much sincerity as I could must, my lips curving into a soft smile of their own accord. "I love him, dad." I said, my stupid eyes tearing again as I sniffed and scrubbed at them viciously. "And, I was honestly so scared by that... I panicked. I panicked _bad._"

"You mean like the time that girl in toddler group tried to kiss you?" Scott asked, raising a brow as I blushed.

"Dad, I was three! I didn't want cooties!" I protested, grimacing as I imagined Jake's teasing the next time we were alone. 

"So, what?" Scott asked seriously, his brow furrowing as he thought. I groaned, dreading what other blackmail material he might give Jake. "Panicked like... when your mom signed you up to be an alter boy, and you had to sing with the church choir?"

"Huh?" I frowned, not really wanting Jake to know about my brief stint as an alter boy either; though after the boy scout thing, I don't think it could really be worse. "What do you mean, I didn't panic about singing with the choir..."

"No, but you did when you saw the preacher and got your first stiffy."

_"Dad!"_

Mortification like I'd never known flooded me, my face immediately flaring with a rush of heat as I glanced over at Jake, who I was certain was shaking infinitesimally with laughter, though it would pass as shivering with cold to anyone who didn't know him.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you just said that! And I didn't panic! I just... left the room." My monitor beeped wildly as I tried to get my heart back under control as I grumbled to myself.

"Well, you left the room a very funny shade of red, right in the middle of your big solo." Scott chuckled, smiling at me warmly as his eyes glittered with mirth. I told myself I was mad at him for these revelations, but it was so good to see him smile at me, I couldn't convince myself it was true. "But alright... I know you don't want your old dad, embarrassing you in front of your uh, significant other. Even asleep, as he may be." He said glancing over at Jake's innocently sleeping face. "I mean, I'd say boyfriend, but there's less boy about him than there is you." He huffed, shaking his head as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Has he left this room at all since you got here?" He asked, turning back to me with a faint frown.

"No, mom said he's always been here..." I knew for myself he wasn't about to leave me of course, but I wasn't about to admit I knew that. Head wounds, good for patchy memories. "And it really doesn't matter what you call him. I don't think we really need to label it past 'us,' you know?" I added, smiling tiredly, before swallowing and squeezing Scott's hand. "Dad, I am so, so sorry for lashing out the way I did. I was so scared of being like mom, of resenting him the way she came to resent you when you guys were married," I bit my lip guiltily when Scott flinched at the mention of mom's well known feelings about their marriage. "I'm sorry... please, please say you can forgive me?"

"Hey, now, Tay-Bear..." Scott shushed me as I began to sniffle again, wiping my eyes gently so they wouldn't spill anymore of the gathering tears. "Of course I do, son." He promised warmly, sighing when I began to cry in earnest again. "Hey, c'mon... shh... tell you what, Tay-Bear," he said, clearly growing uncomfortable at the continued emotional exchange. "You get yourself all better and fix that leg up, then... once we get back home, we'll go for that hike, yeah?"

I knew his words were supposed to lighten the mood and stop me from crying; but they had the opposite effect. I cried all the harder because Scott was just, so understanding and I knew I didn't deserve his forgiveness but fuck me sideways; it was so good to have it. I nodded as best I could, laughing between my hiccups as Scott hugged me and seemed relieved when I finally began to regain control of myself.

We stayed like that for several more minutes, before Scott noticed my fidgeting get worse; and he left to find the nurse and see if she could give me more pain meds. I sighed as he left, laying back in my pillows and staring at the ceiling, marveling at my good luck for having such overall; awesome parents.

"Go ahead." I muttered, still staring at the ceiling. "Get it over with... I know you've been dying to comment." I huffed sulkily.

I felt Jake's presence beside me even before I heard his quiet laughter or felt his fingers trail over my cheek gently, soothing the burn of my lingering, embarrassed blush. "Dunno what ya talkin' 'bout." He said innocently, though I saw his prominent smirk when I risked a glance at his dumb, perfect face. "I've been too busy worryin' ya were gonna give yaself some new injury; cryin' so damn much." He huffed, his exasperation clear as he leaned closer and laid his cheek beside mine, cooling the flushed and swollen skin.

"Urgh, god... don't look at me." I complained, knowing I must look hideous from my emotional outpouring. "I'm a mess... I must look like a puffy red whale..."

"Ya look beautiful." Jake countered quietly, chuckling when my monitor beeped erratically for a moment. "So damn beautiful, it hurts. Just like always." He added, as I swatted his arm and finally turned my head towards him.

"You're such a smooth bastard." I complained playfully, shaking my head as I met his black eyes with my deep blue gaze. "Is there _anything_ you're not good at?" 

"Stayin' away from ya." He answered instantly, his expression darkening for a split half a second, before his lips curved into a wicked grin. "So... boy scout _and _alter boy, huh?" He asked smugly, as I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up and kiss me before the nurse comes to make me sleep again." I snorted, my monitor beeping wildly as Jake grinned and leaned closer slowly.

"Yes, _sir._" He snickered, meeting my lips with the soft promise that his teasing was nowhere near done; but postponed, for a time when there was less kissing to be done.


	25. Epilogue: End Of Year Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, ain't it?
> 
> The conclusion of Endless Twilight, and we got here so fast!
> 
> This has been a pleasure, a joy, a passion - and we hope you have enjoyed the ride as much as we did.
> 
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> 
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> x Our love to you all x  


**Epilogue**

**End Of Year Ball**

Scott had been... awkward since my return to Cedar Cove. He had compartmentalized my bad experience into two defined reactions. Toward Mike he was almost worshipfully grateful. On the other hand, he was stubbornly convinced that Jake was at fault, despite my explanations in the hospital; because, if not for him, I wouldn't have left home in the first place. And Jake was far from disagreeing with him.

There had been talk of new rules, such as curfews and visiting hours. I politely reminded him of my age, and suggested finding myself accommodation within the college dorms. Talk of rules, curfews and visiting hours; promptly ended. 

Still, despite the brief spat, it wasn't so bad. My required stay at the hospital in Sunset beach turned into an opportunity for closure, of sorts. 

Jim arrived a day before I was going to be discharged. It was awkward between Scott and Jim at first. But they chatted a bit, got to know each other further, and Scott seemed to come to terms with something within himself, too. I think he was finally accepting that he had to let Julia go, in every way that counted. 

Jordan, as per usual, was his general self. If he was bewildered by my tight embrace around him once he was near enough for me to do so, he didn't say. He returned the gesture, but quickly mouthed off me for scaring him and Julia right afterwards. As some form of petty revenge, he rubbed it in my face when he had a nice, beefy burger while I was stuck with hospital poison. Michael and Jake, though... That was something I didn't expect.

Once he was finally convinced that Jordan wasn't as smitten over Jake as I clearly was, Michael got on well with him. Even to go so far as to belt out Wonder Wall with Jake as we waited for my clearance to be discharged. Jordan and I complained profusely about the noise, having a silent pact that we'd never let them know how amusing it actually was. We had to draw the line, though, when Scott came back to get us and started joining in too.

We love our dad but he could be so much of a... well, _dad_ sometimes.

It was nice to be back at Cedar Cove, things were moving forward nicely that the rest of the weeks seemed to pass by like a blur. I did my best to be patient when Scott started acting a bit like he had like when I first got here, always checking if I was really fine being here.

I really couldn't blame his wariness at this point. Particularly now, as I was wary over something else.

Jake helped me into his car, being very careful of my forest green silk shirt, the large purple flower styled red spikes, and my bulky walking cast. He ignored the angry set of my mouth. When he had me settled, he got in the driver's seat and headed back out the long, narrow drive.

"At what point exactly are you going to tell me what's going on?" I asked grumpily.

I really hated surprises. And he damn well knew that.

"I'm kinda surprised ya ain't figured it out yet." He threw a mocking smile in my direction, and my breath caught in my throat.

Would I ever get used to his perfection? 

"I did mention that you looked very nice, didn't I?" I verified.

"Ya might've mentioned it once or twice." He grinned again. We both knew it was a lot more. "Ya know, after ya picked ya jaw up offa the floor."

I'd never seen Jake dress in black before, and, with the contrast against his pale skin, his beauty was absolutely surreal. That much I couldn't deny, even if the fact that he was wearing a tuxedo made me very nervous.

Not quite as nervous as the shirt and smart trousers. Or the shoe. Only one shoe, as my other foot was still securely encased in plaster. But the small, smart shoe, certainly wasn't going to help my balance as I tried to hobble around.

"I'm not coming over anymore if Quinn is going to treat me like Guinea Pig Ken doll when I do," I griped.

I'd spent the better part of the day in Quinn's staggeringly vast bathroom, a helpless victim as she played hairdresser and cosmetician. Whenever I fidgeted or complained, she reminded me that she didn't have any memories of being human, and asked me not to ruin her vicarious fun. Then she'd dressed me in the most ridiculous clothes; clothes more suitable for a runway than Cedar Cove.

Nothing good could come of our formal attire, of that I was sure.

Unless... but I was afraid to put my suspicions, or hopes rather, into words; even in my own head.

I was distracted then by the sound of a phone ringing. Jake pulled his cell phone from a pocket inside his jacket, looking briefly at the caller ID before answering.

"Hey, Scott," he said warily.

"Scott?" I frowned.

"Ya kiddin'!"

I raised a brow. Something Scott was saying had made Jake's eyes widen in disbelief, and then a grin spread across his face before he started laughing.

"What is it?" I demanded.

He ignored me. "Why don't ya lemme talk to 'im?" Jake suggested with evident pleasure. He waited for a few seconds.

"Hey, Mitchell, 's Jake McKenzie." His voice was very friendly, on the surface. I knew it well enough to catch the soft edge of menace. What was Caleb doing at my house?

The awful truth began to dawn on me. I looked again at the inappropriate clothes Quinn had forced me into.

"I'm sorry if there's been some kinda misunderstandin'," he said, sounding anything but with such a cheerful tone. "But Taylor's unavailable tonight." Jake's tone changed, and the threat in his voice was suddenly much more evident as he continued. "Bein' honest, he'll be unavailable any night, as far as anyone 'cept _me's_ concerned. No offense. And sorry 'bout ya evenin'." He didn't sound sorry at all. And then he snapped the phone shut, a huge smirk on his face.

My face and neck flushed crimson with anger. I could feel the rage-induced tears starting to fill my eyes.

He looked at me in surprise. "Was that last part goin' too far? I didn't mean to presume or offend ya."

I ignored that.

"You're taking me to the stupid dance?!" I yelled.

It was embarrassingly obvious now. If I'd been paying any attention at all, I'm sure I would have noticed the date on the posters that decorated the school buildings. But I'd never dreamed he was thinking of subjecting me to this when I was stuck in this ridiculous cast.

Sure, I loved to dance, and I'm sure I'd love it even more to be able to dance with him specifically. But I'm hardly in any condition for any kind of dancing.

If anything, I'd be breaking myself more.

He wasn't expecting the force of my reaction, that was clear. He pressed his lips together and his eyes narrowed.

"Don't be difficult, Boy Scout."

My eyes flashed to the window; we were halfway to the school already.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I demanded in horror.

He gestured to his tuxedo. "Honestly, Taylor, what'd ya _think_ we were doin'?"

I was mortified. First, because I'd missed the obvious. And also because the vague suspicions; expectations, really, that I'd been forming all day, as Quinn tried to transform me into a handsome prince, were so far wide of the mark. My hopes seemed very silly now.

I'd guessed there was some kind of occasion brewing.

But the end of year dance! That was the furthest thing from my mind.

The angry tears rolled over my cheeks. I wiped quickly under my eyes to try and prevent him noticing, but of course; he noticed everything.

"This is bloody stupid... Why the bloody hell're ya cryin'?" he demanded in frustration.

"Because I'm mad!"

"Taylor." He turned the full force of his scorching cerulean eyes on me.

"What?" I muttered, distracted.

"Humor me," he insisted.

His eyes were melting all my fury. It was impossible to fight with him when he cheated like that. I gave in with poor grace.

"Fine," I pouted, unable to glare as effectively as I would have liked. "I'll go quietly. But you'll see. I'm way overdue for more bad luck. I'll probably break my other leg. Look at this shoe! It's a death trap!" I held out my good leg as evidence.

"Hmmm." He stared at my leg longer than was necessary, though really, his eyes were roaming a lot higher to my thigh; more to the tight pull of my trousers around the muscles beneath. "Remind me to thank Quinn for that later."

"Quinn is going to be there?" That comforted me slightly.

"With Kele, and Craig... and Zahra," he admitted.

The feeling of comfort disappeared. There had been no progress with Zahra, though I was on quite good terms with her sometimes-husband. Craig enjoyed having me around; he thought my bizarre human reactions were hilarious... or maybe it was just the fact that I fell down a lot in my stupid cast that he found so funny. Zahra acted as if I didn't exist. While I shook my head to dispel the direction my thoughts had taken, I thought of something else.

"Is Scott in on this?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.

"'Course." He grinned, and then chuckled. "Seems Mitchell weren't, though."

I gritted my teeth. How Caleb could have been so ridiculous as to presume such a thing, I couldn't imagine. At college, Jake and I were inseparable; except for those rare sunny days.

We were at the college now; Zahra's black jeep was conspicuous in the parking lot. The clouds were thin today, a few streaks of sunlight escaping through far away in the west. Jake got out and walked around the car to open my door. He held out his hand.

I sat stubbornly in my seat, arms folded, feeling a secret twinge of smugness. The lot was crowded with people in formal dress: witnesses. He couldn't remove me forcibly from the car as he might have if we'd been alone.

He sighed. "Someone wants to kill ya, ya brave as a lion; then when someone mentions a college dance..." He shook his head.

"I love dancing," I sniffed irritably, scowling at him as I gestured to my awful cast. "Falling to humiliation? Not so much." I gulped.

"Taylor, I ain't gonna let anythin' hurt ya; not even yaself. I won't let go of ya once, I promise."

I thought about that and suddenly felt much better. He could see that in my face.

"See?" He said gently, "ain't be so bad as ya thinkin'." He leaned down and wrapped one arm around my waist. I took his other hand and let him lift me from the car.

He kept his arm tightly around me, supporting me as I limped toward the school.

In Sunset Beach, they held these kinds of dances in hotel ballrooms. This dance was in the college gym, of course. It was probably the only room in town big enough for a dance; except maybe the high school cafeteria. When we got inside, I giggled. There were actual balloon arches and twisted garlands of pastel crepe paper festooning the walls.

"This looks like a horror movie waiting to happen," I snickered.

"Well," he muttered as we slowly approached the ticket table; he was carrying most of my weight, but I still had to shuffle and wobble my feet forward, "there's more'n enough vampires present."

I looked at the dance floor; a wide gap had formed in the center of the floor, where two couples whirled gracefully. The other dancers pressed to the sides of the room to give them space; no one wanted to stand in contrast with such radiance. Craig and Kele were intimidating and flawless in classic tuxedos.

Quinn was striking in a deep blue dress. It was backless and tight to her calves, where it flared into a wide ruffled train, with a neckline that plunged to her waist. Her fiery hair was pinned into a delicate and elaborate nest of curls; and accentuated with what looked like pearls. And Zahra was... well, Zahra. She was beyond belief. Her red satin dress with geometric cutouts that bared large triangles of her snowy white skin. I almost pitied every girl in the room.

"Do you want me to bolt the doors so you can massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?" I whispered conspiratorially.

"And where d'_you_ fit into that scheme?" He glared.

"Oh, I'm with the vampires, of course."

He smiled reluctantly. "Anythin' to get outta dancin'."

"Tonight? Hell yes."

He bought our tickets, then turned me toward the dance floor. I cringed against his arm and dragged my feet.

"I got all night, Boy Scout," he warned.

Eventually he towed me out to where his family was twirling elegantly; if in a style totally unsuitable to the present time and music. I watched in horror.

"Jake." My throat was so dry I could only manage a whisper. "I really _can't_ dance right now!" I could feel the panic bubbling up inside my chest.

"Taylor, stop bein' such a dumbass. Ya don't need to be able to dance," he whispered back. "I can." He put my arms around his neck and lifted me to slide his feet under mine.

And then we were whirling, too.

"I feel like I'm five years old," I laughed after a few minutes of effortless waltzing.

"Ya sure as hell don't look five," he murmured, pulling me closer for a second, so that my feet were briefly a foot from the ground.

Quinn caught my eye on a turn and smiled in encouragement; I smiled back. I was surprised to realize that I was actually enjoying myself... a little.

"Okay, this isn't half bad," I admitted.

But Jake was staring toward the doors, and his face was angry.

"What is it?" I wondered aloud.

I followed his gaze, disoriented by the spinning, but finally I could see what was bothering him. Diego Soto, not in a tux, but in a long-sleeved white shirt and tie, his hair smoothed back into his usual ponytail, was crossing the floor toward us.

After the first shock of recognition, I couldn't help but feel bad for Diego. He was clearly uncomfortable; excruciatingly so. His face was apologetic as his eyes met mine.

Jake snarled very quietly.

"Behave!" I hissed.

Jake's voice was scathing. "He wants to chat with ya."

Diego reached us then, the embarrassment and apology even more evident on his face.

"Hey, Taylor, I was uh, hoping you'd be here." Diego sounded like he'd been hoping the exact opposite. But his smile was just as warm as ever. "You look pretty good, man."

"Hey, dude." I smiled back. "What's up?"

"Er, you mind if I, uh... Can I cut in?" Diego asked tentatively, glancing at Jake for the first time.

Jake's face was composed, his expression blank. His only answer was to set me carefully on my feet, and take a step back.

"Thanks," Diego said amiably.

Jake just nodded, looking at me intently before he turned to walk away. Diego put his hands on my waist, and I reached up to put my hands on his shoulders.

"So," He hummed, "This isn't awkward at all."

Very smooth Diego, I thought. I shook my head. "He's a little put out... you made him break a promise that he wouldn't let go of me all night." I snorted, "so thank you, because now he'll have to make it up to me later."

He laughed. "Happy to help." He grinned. "So, you fall out a window and get a hot boyfriend? Seems a little unfair dude, where's my hot arm candy?"

"You snooze, you lose, dude." I said, winking playfully, before feigning a scowl. "Also, find your own; that one's off limits."

"Dude, if I tried to date a McKenzie or a Darwin, I think my dad would just about have a heart attack." He laughed, though the sound was awkward. Strained. I frowned, sensing something was bothering him.

We weren't really dancing; my leg made that impossible. Instead we swayed awkwardly from side to side without moving our feet. He looked gangly and uncoordinated next to my short and now blocky ass, if my leg was fine, I could show him how to do it properly.

"So, how did you end up here tonight?" I asked without sly suspicion. Considering Jake's reaction and Diego's awkwardness, I was pretty sure I could guess.

"Can you believe my dad paid me twenty bucks to come to Berry College's End of Year Ball?" he admitted, clearly ashamed.

"Yes, I can," I sighed. "Well, I hope you're enjoying yourself, at least. Seen anything you like?" I teased, deliberately nodding toward a group of girls lined up against the wall like pastel confections.

"Sure," Diego sighed. "But you're being an ass and gesturing to the wrong team." He cocked his head towards where some guys were goofing off at the snack table.

I sniggered, "Knew you were my best friend for a reason."

"Birds of a feather, right?" Diego grinned, "And in a total platonic-non-romantic-way, I think you look pretty fine yourself, tonight," he added. "Sorry to break it to you, though, you're not my type."

"You ass," I laughed, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. He sniggered. "So why did Ricardo pay you to come here?" I asked quickly, though I knew the answer.

Diego didn't seem grateful for the subject change; he looked away, uncomfortable again. "He said it was a 'safe' place to talk to you. I swear the old man is losing his mind."

I joined in his laughter weakly.

"Anyway, he said that if I told you something, he would get me that gearbox I need," he confessed with a sheepish grin.

"Tell me, then. I want you to get your car finished so we can hang out more." I grinned back. At least Diego didn't believe any of this. It made the situation a bit easier. Against the wall, Jake was watching my face, his own expressionless. I saw a sophomore in a pink dress eyeing him with timid speculation, but he didn't seem to be aware of her.

Diego looked away again, ashamed. "Don't get mad, okay?"

"There's no way I'll be mad at you, Diego," I assured him. "I won't even be mad at Ricardo. Just say what you have to."

"You're a saint, Taylor." Diego sighed. "Well, most of the time... And; this is so stupid, I'm sorry, man, he wants you to break up with your boyfriend. He asked me to tell you 'please.'" He shook his head in disgust.

"He's still superstitious, huh?"

"Yeah. He was... kind of over the top when you got hurt down in Sunset beach. He didn't believe..." Diego trailed off self-consciously.

My eyes narrowed. "I fell."

"I know that," Diego said quickly.

"He thinks Jake had something to do with me getting hurt." It wasn't a question, and despite my promise, I was angry.

Diego wouldn't meet my eyes. We weren't even bothering to sway to the music, though his hands were still on my waist, and mine around his neck.

"Look, Diego, I know Ricardo probably won't believe this, but just so _you_ know," he looked at me now, responding to the new earnestness in my voice. "Jake really did save my life. If it weren't for him and his family, I'd be dead."

"I know," he claimed, but he sounded like my sincere words had affected him some.

"You don't dude." I said quietly, watching as he blinked in surprise. "Since I came to Cedar Cove; I was almost killed by an out of control van, I was-" I paused, glancing across the large room to where Brian and Zoe were talking in hushed tones. "I was _nearly_ assaulted... and every single time; Jake saved my life. The thing in Sunset Beach made the third, official, time he'd saved my life."

Diego blinked at me owlishly, his grip tightening on me as his eyes flickered with an entire range of emotions. I felt bad for telling him about my bad luck since I'd first moved here; but I figured that just maybe, he'd be able to convince Ricardo of this much; at least.

"Hey, I'm sorry you had to come do this, dude," I apologized. "At any rate, you get your parts, right?"

"Yeah," he muttered. He was still looking awkward... upset.

"There's more?" I asked in disbelief.

"Forget it," he mumbled, "I'll get a job and save the money myself."

I glared at him until he met my gaze. "Just spit it out, Diego."

"It's so bad."

"I don't care. Tell me," I insisted.

"Okay... but, geez, this sounds bad." He shook his head. "He said to tell you, no, to warn you, that; and this is _his_ plural, not mine..." he lifted one hand from my waist and made little quotations marks in the air. '"We'll be watching.'" He watched warily for my reaction.

It sounded like something from a mafia movie. I laughed out loud. "Sorry you had to do this, dude," I snickered.

"I don't mind that much." Diego grinned in relief. "So, should I tell him you said to butt the hell out?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes and no," I sighed. "Tell him I said thanks, I know he means well... then tell him to butt out."

Now, both of us sniggered.

The song ended, and I dropped my arms.

His hands hesitated at my waist, and he glanced at my bum leg. "Do you want me to help you get somewhere?" I rolled my eyes at his suggestive brow wiggling.

Jake answered for me. "That's all right, Soto. I'll take it from here."

Diego flinched, and stared wide-eyed at Jake, who stood just beside us. "Hey, I didn't see you there," he mumbled. "I guess I'll see you around, Taylor." He stepped back, waving and casting me an entirely unsubtle wink. "Enjoy your night." He snickered lewdly, ignoring my playfully narrowed eyes.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. It was impossible to actually be mad at Diego. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Sorry," he said again before he turned for the door.

Jake's arms wound around me as the next song started. It was a little up-tempo for slow dancing, but that didn't seem to concern him. I leaned my head against his chest, content.

"Feeling better?" I teased.

"Not really," he said tersely.

"Don't be mad at Ricardo," I sighed. "He just worries about me for Scott's sake. It's nothing personal."

"I ain't mad at him, if I'm honest," Jake corrected in a clipped voice. "But his son's irritatin' me."

I pulled back to look at him. His face was very serious, until I jabbed his shoulder with my finger crossly. "Hey, best friend, remember?" I said petulantly, pouting at him reproachfully.

"First of all, he made me break my promise." Jake sighed, ignoring my petty arguments. I snickered at him as he half smiled and shook his head. "But, I _don't_ think ya gonna be needin' me to make anythin' up to ya," he explained with a wave of his brows.

"You know one day your eavesdropping is going to get you in a lot of trouble, mister." I said, though I was laughing.

"I don't doubt it... But there's somethin' else." Jake frowned. I waited patiently. "He called ya pretty," he finally continued, his frown deepening. "That's an insult, the way ya look right now. Ya way more'n gorgeous."

I laughed. "I distinctly remember him use the words 'Pretty' and 'good'."

"Pretty, good, fine; still ain't doin' ya justice." He scoffed, "On a bad day, ya still goddamn beautiful."

I blushed at the exaggeration, because I doubted I looked anything but horrid when I was bleeding and dying on a floor with broken mirror pieces. "You might be a little biased." I said.

"Naw, that ain't it. Besides, I got perfect eyesight."

We were twirling again, my feet on his as he held me close.

"So are you going to explain the reason for all of this?" I wondered.

He looked down at me, confused, and I glared meaningfully at the crepe paper. He considered for a moment, and then changed direction, spinning me through the crowd to the back door of the gym. I caught a glimpse of Zoe and Brian dancing, staring at me curiously. Zoe waved, and I smiled back quickly. Cameron was there, too, looking blissfully happy in the arms of awkward Aiden Chou; they didn't look away from his eyes, shy but as delighted as they were. Myra happily videoing everything at the side. I made a mental note to ask for a copy later. Kara was glaring toward us, with Max; I don't know how to feel about them being back together. I was still pissed at Max for what happened at Port Royale, especially since the guy didn't own up to it like Brian had. But I couldn't blame Kara's hate for me. So it was a bit of an impasse.

I could name every face that spiraled past me. And then we were outdoors, in the cool, dim light of a fading sunset. As soon as we were alone, he swung me up into his arms, and carried me across the dark grounds till he reached the bench beneath the shadow of the madrone trees. He sat there, keeping me cradled against his chest. The moon was already up, visible through the gauzy clouds, and his face glowed pale in the white light. His mouth was hard, his eyes troubled.

"The point?" I prompted softly.

He ignored me, staring up at the moon. "Twilight, 'gain," Jake murmured. "'Nother endin'. Don't matter how perfect the day is, always gotta end."

"Some things don't have to end," I muttered through my teeth, instantly tense.

He sighed. "I brought ya to the end of year ball," Jake said slowly, finally answering my question, "'cause I don't want ya to miss anythin'. I don't want my presence to take anythin' away from ya, if I can help it. I want ya to be human. I want ya life to continue as it would have if I'd died in nineteen-eighteen like I should have."

I shuddered at his words, and then shook my head angrily. "In what strange parallel dimension would I have survived a car wreck or whatever very unpleasant experience I'm sure was about to unfold in Port Royale?" I demanded, though I knew from his hard expression that he wouldn't accept a thing I said. His mind was settled. "If you weren't a thousand times stronger than me, I would never have let you get away with this, McKenzie. I don't mind going to dances, and I'll happily go if you just damn well _ask_ me... but I didn't want to come with _this_." I said, gesturing to my stupid cast.

He smiled briefly, but it didn't touch his eyes. "It weren't so bad, ya said so yaself." He said, ignoring everything else I said as I'd known he would.

"That's because I was with you."

We were quiet for a minute; he stared at the moon and I stared at him. I wished there was some way to explain how very uninterested I was in a normal human life. "Hey, tell me somethin'?" he asked, glancing down at me with a slight smile.

"Don't I always?"

"Just promise ya'll tell me," he insisted, grinning.

I knew I was going to regret this almost instantly. "Fine."

"Ya seemed honestly surprised when ya figured out I was bringin' ya here," Jake began.

"I was," I interjected.

"Exactly," he agreed. "But ya must've had some other theory... I'm curious; what'd ya think I was dressin' ya up for?"

Yes, instant regret. I pursed my lips, hesitating. "I don't want to tell you."

"Ya promised," he objected.

"I know."

"What's the problem?"

I knew he thought it was mere embarrassment holding me back. "I think it will make you mad... or sad."

His brows pulled together over his eyes as he thought that through. "I still wanna know. Please?"

I sighed. He waited. "Well... I assumed it was some kind of... occasion. But I didn't think it would be some trite _human_ thing... stupid dance!" I scoffed.

"Human?" he asked flatly. He'd picked up on the key word.

I looked down at my shirt, fidgeting with one of my buttons. He waited in silence.

"Okay," I confessed in a rush. "So I was hoping that you might have changed your mind... that you were going to change me, after all."

A dozen emotions played across his face. Some I recognized: anger... pain... and then he seemed to collect himself and his expression became amused. "Ya thought that'd be a black tie occasion, did ya?" he teased, touching the lapel of his tuxedo jacket.

I scowled to hide my embarrassment. "I don't know how these things work. To me, at least, it seems more rational than the bloody dance does, considering the busted leg." Jake was still grinning. "It's not funny," I said.

"Ya right, it ain't," Jake agreed, his smile fading. "I'd rather laugh, though, than believe ya serious."

"But I am serious."

He sighed deeply. "I know. And ya really that willin'?" The pain was back in his eyes. I bit my lip and nodded. "So ready for this to be the end," he murmured, almost to himself, "for this to be the twilight of ya life, though ya life ain't barely started. Ya ready to give up everythin'."

"It's not the end, it's the beginning," I disagreed under my breath.

"I'm not worth it," he said sadly.

"Uh, hell no. You're very much worth it. Do you remember when you told me that I didn't see myself very clearly?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "You obviously have the same blindness."

"I know what I am."

I sighed. But his mercurial mood shifted on me. He pursed his lips, and his eyes were probing. He examined my face for a long moment.

"Ya ready now, then?" he asked.

I blushed, my stupid heart jumping hopefully into my throat and beating erratically. "Yes." I admitted quietly.

Jake smiled, and inclined his head slowly until his cold lips brushed against the skin just under the corner of my jaw. "Right now?" he whispered, his breath blowing cool on my neck.

I shivered involuntarily, though it was nothing to do with fear, as I knew he hoped it would be. "Yes," I whispered, my arms curking around his neck and holdig him close as I tried to remember how to breathe. If he thought I was bluffing, he was going to be disappointed. I'd already made this decision, and I was sure. It didn't matter that my body was on fire, my heart skipping with delight, my breathing erratic...

Jake chuckled darkly, and leaned away. His face did look disappointed. "Ya can't really believe that I'd give in so easy," he said with a sour edge to his mocking tone.

I tried not to meet his eyes, knowig my disappointment and the sense of rejection I felt would be clear in ny eyes. "A guy can dream."

His eyebrows rose. "Is that what ya dream about? Bein' a monster?"

"No," I said, swallowing as I tried to reign in the irrational part of me that insisted Jake didn't really want me. "Mostly I dream about being with you. Endlessly."

His expression changed, softened and saddened by the subtle ache in my voice. "Taylor." His fingers lightly traced the shape of my lips. "I'll stay with ya... ain't that enough?"

I smiled under his fingertips, locking away my fears as I finally looked up at him. "Enough for now, I guess."

He frowned at my tenacity. No one was going to surrender tonight. He exhaled, and the sound was practically a growl.

I touched his face. "Jake," I said. "I love you more than everything else in the world combined. Isn't that enough?"

"Yeah... 's enough," Jake answered, smiling. "Enough forever."

And he leaned down to press his cold lips once more to my throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's all folks! (人╹ω^) Well, till the next one.... if you beeeeeg
> 
> Okay not beg but seriously, feedback please and thankyou ♡
> 
> May I just say, reading the series, the stalemate regarding Bella's fate was one of the most aggravating thing to stay tune for.
> 
> But it got to that point eventually, right?
> 
> Thank you very much for staying with this fic as long as you have, and we hope you keep going on until the next ones.
> 
> Hope to hear from you there!
> 
> x Our love to you all x  
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